Home
by raelee514
Summary: Keith and Lance crash together, they must work together find a way to get back to the the Team. OCs. Rated T for now. (sorry for any confusion figured out to switch this over to VLD forum)
1. Chapter 1

Lance

Lance's head hurts.

He blinks the light in Blue's cockpit harsh on his eyes. His hands go to his left temple and it feels tacky from blood, which explains the throbbing. Making a face he sits up straighter and fights off a wave of dizzying nausea. It only gets worse because when he touches Blue's console he realizes it's gone completely dark.

"Blue?" He waits for the welcoming sensation of feeling the lion's presence in his head, her guidance and her confidence in him. He swallows hard when the quiet buzzing purr doesn't come.

Lance closes his eyes, the cockpit spinning again, his hands touch the surface of the console and he struggles to remember what happened, needing to know what caused Blue to shut down.

 _The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised. We have no control over where we're headed._

The wormhole. He remembers it all with a rush. The mission hadn't gone as planned but it'd been a success. They rescued Allura and got her back to the Castle. But after she'd open the wormhole something had gone wrong.

Lance winces remembering how out of control it had felt as he hurdled through the wormhole. It always felt out of control in but it usually was a focused high velocity toward one specific point. This time it had felt out of control, he hadn't been able to control Blue at all. Then everything had gone black.

Everyone else.

"No, no, no." He taps at the comm, trying to hope it into working. He sighs frustrated. Why isn't it working? Where is he? Where is everyone else. Are they all okay? They have to be okay? Where are they? Are they here too? Where is here.

He is panicking. He must do something.

Lance rushes to get out of Blue, but he finds he has to manually open the door. The time it takes doing nothing to help his patience. He needs to know where he is, he needs to see the other lions are nearby. The fear is scratching against him and he's not if his head wound or it that has him feeling ready to throw up.

Once outside he blinks against bright sunlight and nearly stumbles to the ground from a wave of dizziness. But he doesn't have the luxury of feeling sick. He has to find his team. But noone is in sight. No other lions, no teammates.

All he sees at first is the sky, peppered with big fluffy clouds. As his eyes adjust more he notices he seems to be on a summit of a mountain. He sees other peaks around him. In every direction.

But the worst thing is he's alone. "Not even, Blue…"

He lets out a gasp as he sees for the first time Blue is on her side, crashed into the earth. He looks down at the uneven terrain caused by the impact. Tears sting his eyes and tries to blink it away. Another wave of nausea slams into him, he's too unsteady on his feet and falls.

The world is spinning he tries to his feet flat and hands onto the earth, wanting to ground himself, trying to wait out of the dizziness. He has a concussion, his whole head is throbbing. He doesn't know where he is and he's afraid he's alone. He glances back at Blue and reaches out to her but there is only silence.

It wasn't that long ago he was in flight with the team, they were Voltron and he could feel each one of them, connected to himself. It was a feeling he didn't know any word for but whole. Being part of the team, a Paladin, it was terrifying but had opened him up to amazing things. Maybe if he concentrates, he can evoke the feeling and maybe if he can evoke it he'll figure out what he needs to do next.

Because he needs to get back to the Castle.

He closes his eyes and his heads spins but he keeps still. He thinks about the connection. To Blue, to the team. How they needed to focus their minds as one to form Voltron. He tries to think about each of them feels. Blue's acceptance. Shiro's strength. Pidge's intellect. Hunk's heart. Breathing he starts to think about Keith's spirit…

And there is a whoosh, something else takes over his mind and he's seeing Red, crashed against the side of a mountain, then he's inside her and sees Keith laying on the floor of the cockpit.

He gasps in shock and the vision is gone, his head is empty again except for the throbbing pain. But he barely feels it, he knows where Keith is… somehow he knows. He stands up and starts walking east away from Blue.

Lance keeps his eyes peeled for any sign of Red. He's trusting his instincts on this but as he walks he starts to doubt having the vision. His head hurts. He feels sick. It's been barely a month. Weeks ago he was just a kid who be a space explorer. Fighting to stay to stay in fighter class, knowing he can be a pilot, but no one really believing in him.

Until he found Blue.

He stops moving, the loss of Blue in his head making his chest ache. Another wave of dizziness washes over him and he fights against passing out. This wasn't what he expected. He never thought he'd be somewhere alone after a bad wormhole flight. Whenever he dreamed about flying into outer space, he never envisioned the depth of it's dangers. He hadn't believed in aliens. Not really.

Lance knows he never could've imagined he'd be called a Paladin. That he'd be a defender of the universe. It was crazy. "Careful what you wish for."

He rests for several minutes and then starts walking, trying not to stumble on the uneven terrain of the mountain. His breath is harsh as he's mostly climbing uphill.

And he's doubting the vision but it's the only lead he's got but why is taking so long to find Red. He looks behind and realizes Blue is out of sight. Instant panic, he turns around and thinks he has to go back to her.

"No, Keith." Lance picks up his pace, he can't really run but he's impatient and he's in a hurry.

He doesn't know how long it takes, it feels like forever but finally he sees Red. She's crashed into the side of the mountain. It's head on the slope close to the edge of where Lance is standing. He swallows because the lion looks as empty as Blue felt, but the pang is softened by triumph. He found her.

"Keith." He smiles.

Carefully he slowly makes it down the steep slope toward Red. A voice is in the back of his head that he shouldn't be doing this. He's dizzy and his vision is blurred, he's exhausted and also he's not supposed to be insane. But he has to get Red. He has no choice, this is Keith, his team member.

His footing slips, he falls and slides down the rough terrain too fast, too swiftly and he's suddenly aware othe gap between Red's head and the mountain. He sees nothing but space between them. Horrified, almost sure he's going to fall he screams and flails and somehow digs his fingers around something and stops his descents.

Lance freezes. He freezes where he is afraid to move. Afraid of falling. He's failing.

 _We can't give up. We can't fail._

Shiro's voice echoes in his head. Whenever they had felt cornered by a trap, or at loss of what do to do survive. Shiro told them to believe in themselves, to believe in each other. Shiro's faith had gotten them far. The mission had been successful, they'd rescued Allura. This wormhole thing, Lance realizes, is just another bump in the road. He can do this, he can get to Keith.

"We're a team," Lance mutters as he slowly turns around, staying flat against the surface. He just has to climb down a bit further and jump onto Red. "I've got this, just climbing down a mountain a bit until I can jump onto Red. No big deal. Can do it in my sleep."

Lance starts his descent and tries not to look down. Finds himself wishing they landed at the beach. He is a good swimmer. But no instead he is learning mountain climbing on the fly. He moves down and his foot slips and in that split second he almost panics but manages to scramble and keep his place on the mountain.

"Don't panic…don't panic."

Red is closer and closer, he focuses on that. He can do this, all he has to do is jump now. But when hits that point, he's hit with another wave of dizziness, his vision becomes more blurred. For the first time he feels he may not be able to stop himself from getting sick.

"Not Hunk, Not Hunk…"

He takes a deep breath. "On three…." He counted, one, two, three… "Okay on four…" One, two, three, four. He pushes away from the mountain and he screams. He hears it echo all around him but then he hits hard metal and all the air leaves his system. His heart is hammering so fast he's afraid he run out heartbeats. He stays still, trying to remember how to breath and we does all he can say is.

"Ow."

Takes a few moments to get himself moving, his limbs seem to be feeling heavier and heavier. He has to pry at the hatch to get into Red, the fact it isn't working as well fills him with dread. Without the lions to help them how can they find their way back to the team. "Stop." Lance shakes his head at himself. "Focus."

He gets it open and jumps inside. Keith's on the floor, not even in his seat and Lance feels punched with fear. "Can something go right?" He rushes over to him, turns him over gently to see his face, hand going to his throat to look for his pulse. He feels Keith's heart beat against his fingers and sighs with relieve.

"Keith?" he doesn't look hurt, he doesn't see any blood but he's out cold. "Keith?"

"Should I slap him?" Lance sighs, sitting there Keith pulled into him and fights the threat of tears, dizziness and fear. "One thing at a time." He nods a the plan, and focuses on Keith. He's alive and if he's alive he can wake up. He smacks his hand against Keith's face.

Suddenly Keith's no longer lax and he's attacking Lance. Hand grabbing his wrist and pulling and twisting Lance away from him. Before he knows it he's on his knees, arm held behind him.

"Who are you, where am I?"

"It's me, LANCE… You know your fellow Paladin? Let me go."

"Lance?"

Lance falls forward with a groan as Keith releases him. He glares at Keith. "That's it I'm never going scale a mountain for you, again."

"What?" Keith stared at him. "I… feel exhausted."

"Yeah well we were flung through a wormhole."

"Zarkon!' Keith glared. "I almost had him."

"You almost were toast, if it weren't for Shiro."

Keith frowns. "I remember it now, the wormhole. Where are we?"

"A mountain."

"Where?"

"I don't know, a PLANET."

Keith rolls his eyes and turns around to look at Red's console. "What the… nothing's working? Red?"

"Neither was Blue. Something screwed with their systems, I guess."

Keith turned and looked at him. "What do we do?"

Lance sighed. "I was hoping you knew that."

Keith stars at him blankly. Lance feels the optimism he'd built up at finding Keith fade. His head feels worse than it has, he's wobbly on his feet and suddenly the whole cockpit is spinning too fast for him to handle.

"Lance?" Keith's voice sounds so far away.

He falls to the floor, hands flat on the surface, he feels clammy and wrong. He presses his hands into the surface trying to believe it wasn't moving. Only it doesn't work, he can push through it this time, his whole body lurches and he throws up.

"Great…I can't believe you just threw up in my lion." Keith's voice again but he sounds so far away. Lance looks up and sees Keith scowling down at him and he feels bad.

"Sorry,"

Keith is suddenly right in front of his face and grabs his face, angling towards him.

"Ow. What are you doing?"

"You have a concussion."

"You think," Lance yells and winces at the sound. "I feel like I'm going pass out."

Keith's fingers poked at his temple where the wound is.

"OW! You're seriously a horrible doctor."

"That's because I'm not a doctor."

"My head hurts enough as it is, stop it."

"We gotta clean that up."

"Right, cause my head is really the most important issue right now. We don't know where we are, we don't know why the lions aren't working…"

"Lance."

"Who knows where everyone else is, I mean did we all land here? The rest of the team could be anywhere. We could be anywhere."

"Lance!"

"Neither one of us know what to do, I mean what do we do, Keith?"

"LANCE."

"What?"

"I am going to clean up your head wound, and you are going to SHUT UP. We'll figure out the rest after that."

"Ooh, you just planned the next fifteen minutes."

"Twenty, since I have to clean up the VOMIT you spewed all over my Lion."

"That'd be worse if I was Hunk," Lance muttered.

"Yeah."

"You think he's okay? Hunk, Pidge, Shiro? Coran, Allura?"

"They're fine."

"Yeah."

"You believe that?"

"I do."

"Really?"

"Lance you were supposed to shut up."

"You were supposed to be cleaning my head but you're just standing there."

"Fine."

Keith grabs him from the floor and pushes him into chair then disappears from sight., Lance slides into the chair and his eyes flutter closed. It feels good. Just for a moment he doesn't have to fight through it. He feels like he's about to walk into a dream when something smacks him the cheek.

His eyes blink open in time to watch Keith slap him a second time.

"Stop hitting me."

"You hit me and stay awake…. Cleaned you best I could with the med kit. Did a better job on the floor though…"

"Janitorial skills do seem more your thing."

"Want me to hit you again."

"No."

"Yeah, well I don't want to either."

"Great. We agree on something."

They sigh.

"We should figure out where we are?" They say in unison.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith

Keith helps Lance up onto Red's head. Lance is squinting hard and trying to cover his eyes. It reminds him Lance found him passed out. His hand goes to the spot where he seems to have a slight bump. It doesn't hurt, he doesn't have a headache. Why is it not worse? Lance had to slap him awake. He looks at his hand, the ripped fabric around his wrist.

He flexes his hand and remembers how it'd been burned, how it stung and how the wound had simply vanished after he was doused in the raw quintessence. Does it have something to do with why he is fine while Lance is not?

 _What is that stuff?_

"Keith? Earth to Keith?"

"What?"

"We need to do something?"

"We're going to figure out where we are."

"How are we going to do that?"

Keith sighs. "I don't know, walk around, investigate."

Lance groans.

Keith rolls his eyes and looks up the slope he thinks Lance must have climbed down. He looks around. Red's rather pinned into the side of the mountain. "Where is Blue?"

"Summit of this mountain, I think…" he points west.

"We should go back."

Lance's mouth falls open and he points to the steep slope. "How are we supposed to climb that? I nearly DIED climbing down."

Keith scoffs. "Our jet packs. Didn't you use it to get down?"

Lance stares at him.

It dawns on Keith that he didn't use the jet pack, and he's torn between laughing or worrying a bit more about Lance's head. "Wow, that knock to your head knocked out all your brain cells…" he's going with snark.

"Ha ha, make fun of the concussion victim."

"You go first," Keith says and motions at him to go up.

"Why me?"

"Cause it's better for me to behind your wobbly ass…"

Lance groans and bends his head down a bit too far, and Keith winces. He probably should get looked at by a doctor. If this planet they're on even has doctors.

Lance starts up the slope using his jet pack. Keith ends up having to grab Lance's shoulders to keep him steady when they reach the top.

"It's a bit of a long walk."

"We better get started then."

Keith looks around as they walk, they are on a mountain, which isn't news. The sky is blue and has white clouds. It's impossible to guess if this an alien world or not, he always thought aliens worlds would be alien. But there is nothing to say this world isn't Earth, or even Arus for that matter. Arus it was alien though, he thinks about the Arusians and frowns, instantly looking around for weird mollusk like creatures who look like toys but sound like truckers.

He always wanted to believe there was life outside of Earth, with the vastness of space it seemed impossible they could be alone. Knowing its true however was a lot to process. It's more than expected and it's worse than he expected. Now he knows the universe is a vast place, filled with life but also filled with dread. Zarkon is out to destroy all the life that thrives in space. All of it… And he wants to use Voltron to do it, they can't let it happen, they can't… They've got to get back to the Castle Ship.

Instantly he thinks of Red, flying her off this planet and the empty space she fills hurts. And he's walking away from her. He pauses in his steps and turns back. Reaching out, wondering, hoping, maybe she returned to life after they left. Nothing.

Keith never knew what it could be like to have something, something sentient choose him. The lion chose him, he was never chosen. When Allura explained the relationships between the paladin and its lion, he had heard the words but he hadn't understood the weight of what it meant to have a lion want you. But when he saw Red moving toward him, mouth open wide, to save him from floating in space. He knew he finally belonged.

It felt like home. It isn't a feeling he knew until that moment and now he doesn't feel it. He is back to the empty feeling of not belonging.

"Keith?"

He looks up and Lance is a few steps ahead of him, looking back with concern and it irritates him. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." He starts walking again. "Let's get to Blue, then go from here. I don't see any life, that's for sure."

"Saw some birds… kind of looked like you know birds. Maybe this place is just like Earth?"

"Maybe. I hope it isn't like Galra."

"Why did you have to say that?"

"We should be pragmatic, it's possible."

"I know, I know… but we're alone. I mean ALONE. You know?" Lance looks at him meaningfully.

Keith startles because its then he realizes Lance isn't feeling Blue either. "Yeah…"

"Yeah."

They walk in silence for a long stretch of time. Keith trying to figure out what it is they need to do. Camp out near the Lions, wait for Allura to find them? That assumes Allura and Castle Ship didn't run into any issues due to the wild ride in the wormhole? Where is Shiro? The others. And how long until they reach Blue?

He starts to open his mouth to ask Lance about Blue, when he hears what sounds like aircraft in the sky. He turns toward the sound and stares up. It's not one but two ships flying in the sky. He stares at them flabbergasted because it can't be… it can't.

"Holy crow…" Lance exclaims from beside him. "Those are Garrison ships."

But it is true. Keith turns and meets Lance's blue eyes and then they both look around them as if seeing the mountain for the first time.

"We're on Earth." Lance says.

More ships appear in the air and Keith looks to see where they are headed. It is filled with dread. The first two they saw are headed in the direction they're walking, and the others are going toward the direction they came from.

"The Lions," Lance shouts.

On instinct Keith turns and starts to run back toward Red. He has to get to her, he has to stop this, it can't happen. It just can't happen. He has to save her. He's all action and intent, so when Lance tackles him to the ground he's shocked as hell. He struggles but somehow Lance stays on top of him, his hands on his chest keeping him pushed into the ground.

"Lance let me go before you puke on me," he yells because Lance looks green, greener than he's ever seen anyone look.

Lance is trying to catch his breathe but he shakes his head.

Keith doesn't want to hurt him, so he ends up having to stay pinned when all he wants to do is toss Lance off of him and run for Red. "Damn it, Lance the lions?"

"Yeah," his breath is harsh and voice deep from the exertion. "I wanna run to Blue too, but we can't let them see us. We'll get thrown in that quarantine like Shiro did. They won't listen to what we have to say. We just can't."

"We can't let them have the lions."

"I know, I know, but we get caught we won't have a chance at getting the lions back."

Keith groans and pushes at Lance. "Get off me."

"You aren't going to run off?" Lance looks at him suspicious.

"No."

"Promise?"

"YES."

Lance sighs and stands up but he does it too quickly and Keith has to jump to his feet to steady him. He looks at Lance and thinks about all things his done since he crashed. It's amazing he is standing, maybe he's maybe he's tougher than Keith thought.

"Now what?" he asks.

"We don't get caught by the Garrison and we get off this mountain."

"Sounds like a plan, then what?"

"I take you home."

"What?"

"We'll need help, and my brother is our best bet."

"Your brother?"

"Tony Taylor."

Keith's mouth drops open. "Tony Taylor is YOUR brother?"

Lance sighs.

"He's like one of the best fighter pilots ever…"

"I KNOW…" Lance turns away from Keith. "Let's go."

Keith isn't sure how they made it down the mountain. More surprising is the fact Lance is conscious. Though it's a close thing. At some point Keith wrapped his arm around him to help keep him steady. Lance slowly putting more and more of his weight against him.

Keith sighs in relief that they walk into a town, not a big one or anything but there are stores and a diner. He realizes as a few people give them odd looks they stand out in their red and blue uniforms. "Not made for stealth…maybe Pidge can work on that…. If we ever see her again."

He shakes his head, he has to believe they will. Has too. He's finally found the right path, the thing he knows he's supposed to do. He's supposed to stop Galra, stop Zarkon. He doesn't understand it, but something shifted inside of him when they found Blue lion, a hole started to fill up inside of him and when he met Red it filled completely.

"Red…" he can't stop thinking about her. He closes his eyes and steals himself. The absence hurts and the fear about what the Garrison may do makes his skin crawl.

"Keith, why we stop moving?"

Keith leaves his thoughts and looks around. "We need to change clothes and get you some water."

"Change into what?"

"Let me worry about that…" he looks around and sees an alley way. It's crappy place to choose but he's got limited options. He helps Lance get down onto the ground, leaning his back against a wall. "Just stay here."

"Your dumping me in an alley?"

"Yes… just rest up a bit."

"Ugh… don't hit me awake."

Keith grins down at him as he rises up.

"Oh, quiznak."

"Still don't think you're using that right."

"Mullet…" Lance mutters his eyes closing.

Keith walks way, running a hand through his hair. He's hot and uncomfortable himself, exhausted. He feels it in his bones. So much has happened in a short time. He was battling Zarkon, and then he wakes up with Lance, on Earth of all places. Keith grits his teeth and pauses in the middle of the sidewalk he is on, he's frazzled, he needs to focus. He thinks about Shiro.

"Patience yields focus… patience yields focus…" He mutters it under his breath and then opens his eyes. Focusing in all the storefronts he can see and he grins. A laundry mat. "That'll work."

He walks through the place first, noting who is doing what, eyeing piles of clothes. Finally he zooms in a guy probably a bit older than him and Lance but looks like his stuff would fit them. Watches in relief as he starts pulling clothes out of the drier.

As he walking closer to them he sees a backpack on the floor, and sees it belongs to the teenager sitting on a washing machine with earphones on. He grabs it and then walks up to the guy and taps him on his shoulder.

"Hey someone ran into a car outside, better check it wasn't yours."

"What!?" the guy runs off.

"Huh, didn't think that would work," he grabs two pairs of jeans, two shirts and a hoodie from the guys clothes and hurries out the back. Then he dumps the backpack of school supplies and grins when he sees a twenty dollar bill. He'll feel guilty about it all later.

Back in the alley he crouches down in front of Lance and sighs. Guy is conked out, and Keith's torn between letting him rest and worrying about how the guys head is doing. He decides to change quickly first though, because he's going to have to help Lance out. He strips out of the uniform quickly, eyes darting around to make sure no one is poking in the alley. He pulls on the jeans and the black t-shirt and then crouches again and pokes Lance in the chest.

"Hey, Lance.. Lance?" Pokes him some more. "Come on. Wake up."

Nothing.

He sighs and smacks Lance's cheek.

Lance groans, his eyes open and though he's blinking he is also glaring. "I told you not too…"

"Yeah, whatever. Come on let's get you undressed." He moves to put his shoulder around Lance to help him up.

"HERE?"

"Yeah here, come on." He starts on the fastenings of the uniform, they're quick to get on but a pain to get off.

Lance lets him but his eyes are all over the place. Then he squawks and pushes Keith's hands away when Keith goes to pull his white long sleeved undershirt off of him. "I got it… and turn around. I got it from here."

"Suit yourself…" Keith turns but he keeps his ear out in case the guy falls.

"These clothes fit pretty well, not bad…"

He turns to see Lance pull on the hoodie but his eyes on Keith.

"How did you get these?"

"Does it matter?"

Lance sighs and shakes his head. "Guess not."

"Come on, let's get food."

"Oh, hell no…" He turns to see Lance look ready to toss up something he hasn't even eaten.

"Water."

"Yeah… I should maybe try to call Tony. If we can find a phone?"

"Maybe we can use the one at the diner."

Lance nods.

Keith takes in a breath, he isn't so sure about going to Lance's brother for help. But it was the only plan they had. He pushes open the diners doors and a waitress, probably around their age bounces up to them. All smiles.

"Hi, Welcome to Dean's Diner… just pick a seat." She motions forward.

Keith waits for Lance to say something to embarrass them both. But he just starts walking forward, unsteady on his feet and he rushes forward to make sure he's there in case he falls.

"He okay?"

"Uh… he hit is head?" Keith winces.

"Oh. Football game or something?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, Cutie, I'll give you free slice of pie for desert." She grins at Lance.

Lance stares at her for a moment and then he slowly grins. "Thanks Beautiful."

Keith watches the whole exchange wondering if maybe they went to a different dimension instead of Earth. He pulls at Lance until they in a booth, sitting across from each other.

"She did call me cute right? I didn't imagine it?" Lance asks.

"Yeah…" Keith looks back at her. "Fluke, I think."

Lance shakes his head. "Nope, nope… it's my natural charisma."

Keith rolls his eyes.

The waitress appears. "Hi again, I'm Sadie, what can get ya."

"Just water, thanks," Lance says, his hands going up to his head.

"Uh, same and just a tuna fish sandwich?"

"Sure thing." She vanishes.

A man walks in and sits in the booth across the aisle from them while they're waiting for their order. "Hey, Sadie, darling turn on that TV for me?"

"Mr. Nichols is it six already? Time flies."

A television that set on the wall flickers to life and Keith cringes at the volume. Lance looks like he's been attacked and he glares at Keith.

"What?"

"Get him to turn it off. Or lower it," Lance hisses.

Keith is about to answer him when something on the screen catches his eyes. It's footage of Blue Lion, looping around in the air. His mouth drops open. Lance turns to see what he's staring at. A woman is suddenly on the screen talking into the camera.

"The footage you just saw was from two weeks ago… it was leaked from an unnamed source. This same source has said that this 'Lion' has been spotted again in our skies. We'll have more updates as they arrive… On a more serious note Galaxy Garrison has issued a public statement saying that three students who went missing the night the night this Lion appeared as dead. It is a sad day for the Taylor, Sanchez and Holt family… Especially for Emma Holt as she has now lost her daughter, as well as her husband and son. It was quite a shock for Mrs. Holt to find out her daughter had been masquerading as boy, which has been a subject of much discus -"

Keith stops listening because Lance turns to look at him is not only green but ashen. He looks worse than Keith ever imagine. And he doesn't know what to say, or how to react. He can't guess at what Lance is thinking, how he must feel knowing his family thinks he is dead. Keith wasn't even mentioned because he's no one. No one is missing him. Lance looks stricken and Keith wishes he knew what to say and he opens his mouth to try but Lance interrupts him.

"I gotta get home…I gotta get home… This can't be happening, I gotta get home."


	3. Chapter 3

Keith

"It gotta go home…" Lance starts to get up out the booth. Keith grabs his arm and shakes his head. "No, Keith, NOW."

"We need a plan, we can't just go there now." He looks around the diner, everyone is looking at the screen with Lance's face on it but not at Lance. He sighs and whispers. "They think you're dead, you can't call up or knock on the door."

"They think I'm dead, I gotta call or knock on the door," Lance hisses back at him.

"You need…"

Sadie appears with their order and looks between them. Keith finds himself holding his breath. What if she recognizes Lance? After a beat she sets down a watcher pitcher and two glasses, then slides a plate in front of Keith.

"Let me know when you're ready for the pie, Cutie," she winks at Lance.

Lance doesn't notice, he is glaring at Keith.

"Uh, could we get the pie now to go and uh a box for the sandwich?"

"Oh, sure thing, in a hurry?"

"You could say that," Keith says and his eyes go back to the television set. It's shows a woman in front of the screen of clouds. The weather. Safe subject if there ever was one.

"Keith, we need to move."

Keith sighs. "Fine. Where does your brother live exactly?"

"He lives a few miles from the base, in his own place, he doesn't like the base housing."

"Yeah… we need to figure where we are and far it is back to the base." Keith runs his hand through his hair. "We need a car, or something and water, food, and a plan for when we get there."

"Keith, stop sweating the details, please. I need to get home. I gotta get home."

The emotion makes Lance's voice break and Keith doesn't know what to do with that, he doesn't know what to do or say all he knows is what they have to do. "We will, okay, but we have to sweat the details. I'll… you stay here and hydrate. I… get us a car and food for the trip."

Lance just nods.

Keith sighs. Car thief was never on his list of his dream jobs. How does one even steal a car? He doesn't know how to hot wire anything. Keith gets up and walks out of the diner. "I'll try not to take too long."

Lance nods.

He has to do this to survive. They have to survive. They have to hold out until Allura is able to find the lions. He wishes for her to do so soon, because other wise he feels like he and Lance are screwed to hell.

Keith finds himself standing on the sidewalk again with not the first clue of what to do. A woman with a stroller stops near him because her kids toy fell out of the stroller. He ducks down and grabs it for her.

"Thank you."

"No problem… uh, this is going to be a weird question but could you tell me what town this is and what state it is in?"

She blinks at him a few times and then turns to give her child their toy. "Well, you are in Diamond Falls, a small but lovely town in the mountains of Nevada."

"Great… thanks. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Um…."

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't know how long it'd be to get to Mesa Plains, near the Galaxy Garrison base would you?"

"Uh…no, but I think it'd be quite a trek. Um…" she fishes in her purse and pulls out her phone. "We can look."

"That'd be great," Keith says and forces a smile. She's being so nice and she's gotta be thinking he's a lunatic.

"Are you okay, sweetie, you seem a bit peaked."

"You should see Lance," he says without thinking. "Uh, I mean, I'm fine. My friend and I just took a major wrong turn somewhere."

"Hmm," she says and then shows him the screen of her phone. "It's a good days drive. I'd load up on caffeine."

Keith nods a few times then remembers his manners. "Thanks ma'am."

"No problem, I hope you and friend get where you're meant to be," she smiles and then goes on her way.

"Me too," he says and it's true. He needs to be with his team, all of them.

She gives him one last smile and Keith watches her. Thinking about their conversation. He has to steal a car. He looks around where he stands, there a lot of cars but he has no idea how to get one. Then he sees the small movie theater at the corner of the street and a plan starts to form.

Keith makes his way over the movie theater, trying not to think about easily he has come up with a plan to steal a car. Why is this all so simple for him? He guesses it's about surviving and really hasn't that been what his whole life has been? Him fighting to survive. Even now, with a purpose as a Paladin of Voltron he feels it's still all about survival. When does his life get to be about something more than fighting?

He sighs steps inside the theatre and leans against a wall. He has to chose a person. He gets to turn someones day into something awful. He doesn't feel good about it at all. He watches people for awhile, focusing on those going inside. He perks up when he sees a man in a suit and tie walk in. He as loosened his tie and walks directly to the ticket desk. As he passes Keith, he sees him put his keys into the pocket of his suit.

Keith waits for him to get his ticket, then gets up quickly and moves himself to walk right into the man. His hands slides into the pocket and soon he has the man's keys and his wallet. More money would come in handy, he thinks with a half smile. He doesn't feel about about this at all.

"Hey watch it," the man yells at him.

"Sorry."

"Stupid punk, kids…" the guy mutters walking toward his movie.

Keith glares at his back and thinks maybe he does feel okay about this. Then he turns and hurries out toward the movie theatre parking. It takes a few tries hitting the unlock button on the guys keys but soon a maroon SUV lights up and Keith grins. He gets behind the wheel, quickly checks the cars GPS is working and feels a sigh of relief when it does. He starts the car and pulls out of the drive away deciding to put the car in the alley way he'd left Lance earlier. He'd have to leave it, hopefully he's right and the guy in the theatre won't have clue what happened until after his movie.

Soon he's back in the diner and finds Lance staring forlornly at the styrofoam containers the pie and Keith's food is in. He looks up at Keith and perks up a little. "Did you get us a ride?"

"Yeah, we should hurry, that the bill," he grabs the piece of paper on the table.

"Yeah. Pie was free," Lance says and he tries to smile.

Keith frowns. Lance looked sick and exhausted before but now he looks dejected and it feels ten times worse. Keith wants to say something, anything, to make Lance feel better but what the hell can he say?

"I'll go pay."

"Yeah," Lance stands up and grabs the food. "Let's just hurry?"

Keith nods and he quickly pays, not engaging in Sadie's small talk and soon he meets Lance right outside the diner. "We should buy water for the trip and some other stuff to eat."

"Just be fast," Lance says.

Keith fishes in his pants and gives Lance the keys. "It's in the alley, just go rest."

Lance takes them and walks off without a word.

Keith sighs watching him and then quickly ducks into the small supermarket a few doors down from the diner. He grabs two six packs of water, oranges, bananas and some soda.

When he gets back to the car, Lance is passed out in the passenger seat. It's for the best Keith thinks, he'll kick him awake in an hour. He checks the time on the car's dashboard as he starts the engine. It dawns on him he doesn't even know what day of the week it is. He isn't even sure how long he and Lance have been gone from Earth itself.

"Feels like a life time ago," he mutters. Since Lance is asleep he just puts in the address for the Garrison base, Lance can give him the exact address for his brother later. For now it's just imperative to start heading in that direction.

Only a huge piece of him doesn't want too. The piece of him that was left behind with Red is screaming. He's moving away from his lion, his reason, his hope and it feels wrong. It feels wrong deep inside in his bones but he has no choice.

He grits his teeth and drives.


	4. Chapter 4

Lance

Pain wakes him.

He blinks and wishes everything would just stop being so damn bright. His head is a steady annoying ache, like always, he thinks. Then he realizes it's not what woke him as Keith punches him hard in the arm. "Ow, ow, I'm awake, I'm awake. Stop hurting me."

"If you didn't sleep like the dead I wouldn't have too."

"Oh, so it's my fault you're punching me."

"Yes."

Lance wants to snap back with something, well snappy but his brain is mush. Achey mush. He grumble instead and looks out the window, eyes squinting. There isn't much to see really. It's mostly rocks and dirt, the highway and cars. It's a nice day, though he notes taking in the blue sky and the fluffy clouds.

Suddenly he finds himself wishing it was raining and he remembers his conversation with Coran about missing home. The moment feels removed from him now, faraway, but it's a recent memory. But now it feels odd. Because he is mostly wishing he wasn't home. He wants to be with Blue, with the rest of the team, he wants no knowledge of the fact his family thinks he is dead.

"How close are we?" he asks.

"Only been driving an hour, we have a few more ahead us."

Lance sighs. "Why you wake me up then?"

"Cause you have a concussion and I'm playing it safe."

Lance slumps down, he doesn't need reminding about his head. It hurts, he aches. He groans and fumbles around for the bottle of water he had. He has to admit it feels good to be sitting and not walking on uneven terrain fighting to stay upright and not fall off a mountain. He sighs, wishing the concussion could just go away.

"I miss the pods."

Keith laughs.

"It's not funny, those things are great. Bet it just be a couple of ticks and…" he trails off realizing he said ticks instead of seconds. He's missing healing pods and he's brought himself back to the fact that he doesn't want to be home.

He feels like he doesn't belong here and that punches him in the gut. His mind spins, not knowing how to deal with it and relief floods him when Keith speaks.

"It's weird."

"What?"

"Missing the Castle."

"Coran."

"Food goo," Keith laughs.

"Allura," Lance sighs.

"Doubt she misses you."

"Do you think she's okay?" Lance asks, and he means everyone not just Allura.

"I don't know. We're okay…ish."

"Lions weren't."

"Yeah," Lance watches Keith's knuckles whiten as he grips the steering wheel. "I keep wanting to turn around and go to Red."

Lance nods because he feels it too for Blue. "We can't… any anyway they'll probably get moved to the base."

"I don't like the idea of the Garrison touching them."

"Me either, but what can we do? Like I said we need to talk to my brother."

"After we freak him out."

"He rather be freaked out me not being dead than freaked out about me being dead," Lance yells.

"Sorry…sorry. I…" Keith straightens his head and focuses on the road.

Lance doesn't know what to say. He is focused on his family, how can he not be, but it hadn't escaped him the newscast they heard hadn't mentioned Keith at all. Did that mean no one knew he was missing? Did that mean Keith had no one to miss him? The thought made something in Lance twist. The idea of being that alone feels foreign to him. And sad.

"It's okay, not your fault they think we're dead. I flew through the wormhole."

"We all did," Keith says.

"I don't regret it."

"Me either."

They glance at each other and then quickly look away.

It's way too serious right now, Lance thinks and he feels the exhaustion take him over again and is grateful for the ability to just exit the moment. He takes a few drinks from his water bottle. "Can I nap again now?"

"Yeah."

"Don't punch me awake."

"No, promises."

Lance resigns himself to getting punched.

The blaring of horns wake him up. There is a cacophony of sounds. Horns, radios, engines and even voices. "Ow, what the hell?"

"Traffic."

"Why?" Lance whines. "Where are we?"

"Home… kinda." Keith rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. "I let you sleep, you were breathing and all."

"Uh, thanks…what's up with the traffic, I mean it is more than it should be right?."

"Two huge planes flew over us… I mean huge cargo planes the Garrison uses for who knows what. I think its the Lions and I think they are redirecting traffic away from the base."

"That's just great."

"What is your brother's address anyway, time I put that in. Maybe we can get out of this?"

"Uh, yeah…" Lance leans over and types it into the cars GPS system. "It's not really far, but I don't know with all the traffic."

"Great, I gotta get…" Keith yawns. "In the left lane."

Lance frowns and is about to ask if they should switch up who drives when a car horn blares again and he feels like his skull has been dunked in lava. "You need a soda?"

"Might help."

Lance sighs and rummages through the bags, he grabs himself one too and grabs a banana, maybe he can keep that down. He opens the can and hands to Keith. "Uh…thanks you know."

"For what?" Keith looks at him with his typical annoyed expression. Lance wants to laugh but he's trying for once to be serious.

"For keeping me upright? Stealing everything…" He shrugs. "Bringing me home, I guess."

"Oh. You would for me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then whatever."

"Yeah, fine, whatever."

"How do I tell my brother, I'm not dead?"

"Don't look at me."

Lance sighs and tries to push the thoughts away about how his family is dealing with this. This situation Lance put them in. He ran off that night, he got in Blue and he never thought about what he was leaving behind. Not really, even when he missed home it was about him wasn't it?

"I hate this."

"You should, Garrison's lying to them."

"I know, I know.. Wait what?"

"We're not dead, well you're not dead, or Hunk, or Pidge. They don't know, they're lying to cover their asses."

"Well, all they know is we vanished…." Lance stops and realizes he believes Keith. The Garrison is lying to his family. And the Garrison has Blue. "We need to get our lions back."

"It's my number one priority," Keith says, then he's speeding into the left lane, causing the cars all around them to blast their horns. Lance winces at the noise but really his mind is on what they need to do. He'll tell his family the truth, they'll get back Blue and return to space, to the team, to the Castle.

Keith's right, that's the priority.


	5. Chapter 5

The Garrison.

Billie Hart tells herself to breathe as she wipes her palms against her pants. She's nervous, she has no idea what the Galaxy Garrison called her in. She's a tech specialist, she's worked with them on a project here and there but this was different. She looks at the paperwork still on the desk, her signature staring back at her in black ink.

Classified Clearance Level Seven.

This morning when she woke up she was level two. She wants to pace the office but she really can't it's much to small. She looks around at General Iverson's things. He has a cluttered desk, pictures that are his family, none of it really tells her anything nor does it keep her interest. She is too curious and more than a little unconfident. What do they want with her?

As if on cue the door opens and Iverson walks in with two other men. She stands straighter despite the fact she isn't a soldier. Iverson looks at her and she tries to not stare at his squinty eye. He holds his hand and she reaches out and takes it. He nearly crushes her hand but doesn't seem to notice and she's glad he lets go almost immediately.

"My assistant says you signed the clearance paperwork," he mumbles as he picks up the paperwork in question. "Yes, yes," he answer it himself distracted.

"What…why am I here?"

Iverson looks up. "Gregory, the footage."

"Dr. Hart, if you will…" the shorter of the two other men waves her over toward a television in a corner she hadn't seen. He's pressing buttons and before she knows it she's seeing footage of the Blue Lion that has been on airwaves for weeks.

Only it's not the same footage. This footage is much closer, the detail on the lion is more enhanced, and she tilts her head thinking if she didn't know better it was real. "Do you want me to prove this is a fake?" she asks during toward Iverson. "That's not really my expertise…"

Iverson shakes his head and holds up his hand and Billie shuts up.

"Dr. Hart, this is not hoax."

"What?" She looks back the footage. "But…"

"I saw that thing with my own two eyes, young lady. In the flesh, so to speak. Flying and running. It's real. And we have it in a hangar. It and another one."

"What?" she says confused and wondering if they are joking with her. "I don't understand…"

"You are an expert in robotics correct? You have degrees in engineering? You have designed the newest robotic aircraft?"

"Yes, sir, but…"

"Then you are the one for this job, Dr. Hart. But I see you think this is a joke. Fine, seeing is believing after all. Lt. Gregory escort her to hangar. Get her started."

"Yes, sir."

Billie turns and looks at the footage for a moment before she follows the officer, her head shaking, her mind trying to process something that just couldn't be true. A flying lion couldn't exist. This is crazy, she thinks maybe the general has gone mad but others are bustling around them and Lt. Gregory seems nonplussed but he is a soldier.

"Lt. Gregory?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Billie… Um, you are taking me this, uh, Blue lion?"

"Yes, Ma'… Billie."

"Um… really?"

The lieutenant stops and turns toward her. "I know this is hard to believe, I didn't either, I bought the line about the hoax, because a flying lion? Crazy. But it's not. I've seen it, two of them, not in the air or anything. But they are real." He grabs a doorknob of a door. "See for yourself, Dr. Hart."

Shaking her head Billie walks through the door and her knees almost give out on her. Her mouth drops open and her thoughts become a buzzing noise because what she is looking at is impossible. It is monstrous in size. Her neck strains as she looks up and up, her brain trying to process. The size, the scope, the actuality.

Bille is standing before a towering Blue Lion.

Her head spins, the news footage replying, the footage she just saw in Iverson's office. It all has different weight in her mind now. It wasn't fantasy, it wasn't something made up by Hollywood or a creative mind. No she takes that back, a very creative mind had to have invented it. To have made it.

"Oh…" she gasps as it dawns on her why she is here. Instantly she is overwhelmed, no overwhelmed is an understatement. She isn't sure if she is breathing at all. She can't fathom how they were built at all, she has no guess, she has nothing.

These aren't….of the earth. There is nothing human in its design. Aliens. It hits her then, that aliens exist, the rumors and the stories. They are truth, or have truth in them. It is real. She has just been shown proof of aliens existing. This is happening. This is alien technology. It's only now penetrating her thick skull.

"I can't do this," she whispers to the Blue lion looming above her.

Lance

"I said go right!"

"After I passed the right."

"You blew past it after I told you," Lance throws his hands in the air. "Turn around?"

"What do you think I am doing," Keith muttered as he pulled into a parking lot. "This place is a maze."

"It's a city, haven't you even been in it?"

"No. I hate cities," Keith snapped, pulling back out into the road at nearly full speed, causing cars to honk all around them.

"You are a terrible driver."

"Better at it than you."

"You've never seen me drive."

"Seen you pilot."

"You can pilot, what you can't do is drive. This isn't a ship you know."

"Okay, I'm on this street, try to give me the direction in time this time."

Lance glares at the side of Keith's head.

"Lance, you aren't even looking."

"I'm trying to bore a hole in your skull, cause that way you will have half a clue about how much my head hurts and how much you are causing it to hurt more."

"Oh, shut up."

"I can't believe, I am stuck with you."

"SAME."

"Left," Lance yells, pointing left. "See it?"

"YES. Thank you for doing something right."

"I hate you."

"That's mutual."

Lance grabs onto the handle of his door as Keith careens the SUV they stole onto his brothers street. "It's the green apartment building."

Keith nods and jerks the car into a parking spot at the last second.

"Do you even have a license?"

"No." Keith deadpans.

Lance stares at him and can't tell if he's messing with him, or telling the truth.

"So, we're here, you have a plan?"

"I go and knock at the door. Hope he's home."

"That's your plan?"

"Do you have a better one?"

Keith opens his mouth but finally concedes. "No."

Lance stares up at the apartment building. He hopes Tony is home, he hates knowing wherever his brother might be he's thinking Lance is dead. His whole family, Lance can't wrap his head around it past the fact he has to fix it, he has to let them know the truth.

He steals himself and then opens the door. He starts striding toward the building. He feels Keith behind him and as annoying as the guy is, Lance is glad he's here to have his back. He's not sure he could do this alone, actually he knows he wouldn't even be here right now if he'd been alone.

He's about to cross the street to walk up to the apartment, when an orange car shows up. He pauses where he is, because it's his brothers car. This could be simpler, just walk up to Tony after he parks. Only his brother doesn't pull into the buildings parking lot, he stops in the front of the building.

Lance watches in horror as all four doors open up. His mother, his father, his grandfather, Tony and his two kid sisters all spill out of the car. His heart goes to his throat and he freezes.

His grandfather is yelling, almost at the top of his lungs in Spanish, what he is saying hurting Lance with every word because this is it, this is what his death has done to his family.

"What is that Spanish?"

"Yeah…" Lance's voice breaks.

"What, what is he saying?"

Keith sounds tentative, like he's unsure if eh should be asking and Lance isn't sure he can even translate it, not really but he knows the gist. "He's calling the Garrison assholes, he blames them for my mom crying and my grandmother's broken heart…"

"Oh." He feels Keith's hand on his shoulder.

Lance watches them all start to head into the building. "I can't.. I can't…how do I?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, I just go in right, and hope Abuelo Antonio doesn't have a heart attack."

"Uh… yeah…" Keith trails off as another car appears.

Lance watches in horror as his aunts and cousins spill out of the car. "Oh, God."

"Is that more family?" Keith asks and Lance turns to see him staring wide eyed across the street.

"Uh, yeah… more is probably coming. Why are they all coming here?"

"I uh…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY WON'T RELEASE HIS BODY."

Lance jumps back at his aunt's screech, she's waving her hands at his grandfather, who is waving his cane back cursing out the Garrison in Spanish. "They don't have my body."

"Lance?"

"I can't… that's, there are too many of them." Lance stares at Keith.

"Maybe, I should go get your brother?"

Lance finds himself nodding. "Yeah, yeah, good plan. Bring him to the car."

"Yeah, okay."

Lance tries to smile at Keith to show he's thankful but Keith staring across the street his body language wary. "Keith?"

"What should I say?"

"That you're my friend, I guess. Want to talk to Tony privately? His apartment is small, there is no room for the whole family."

"Okay, so friends, private… just how big is your family?"

"Big." Lance shrugs. "Keith, just hurry okay?"

Keith nods, let's out a breath and crosses the street.

Lance watches him until he gets into in the building, then he forces his eyes away from his family still on the sidewalk and walks back to the car.


	6. Chapter 6

Keith

Keith eyes Lance's family warily as he crosses the street. There are at leasts six people outside the building now and he saw more walk inside. It's not just parents, or grandparents feeling the pain of Lance's loss. It's more than that, Lance's death has effected many. Many.

No one knows he's missing. He has no family. No one is crying, no one is shouting. There is no grandfather screaming in Japanese because he's been hit with a hard loss. Keith can't help the jealous spike that shoots up his spine, because he'll never has this. No one will ever love him like Lance's family loves him.

As he ducks into the building, he hears Lance's grandfather again and he doesn't need to understand the Spanish to hear the pain, he wishes he was a better person, someone who wouldn't be jealous of this…

Because Lance is barely holding it together. His pain at knowing his family's pain made Lance more ill than the concussion has. Lance has sent him in because he can't walk in himself, his emotions a complicated mess. Their lives are complicated Keith thinks.

But they are Paladins and it comes first.

They were coming here for Lance's brother because they needed his help. But the news of Lance's death put this messy spin on the plan, and Keith feels like Red's slipping further way the longer he's away from her.

Keith shakes his head, he has to focus now, on Lance's brother. Focus on just getting to him, and getting him to Lance. Away from, away from…this? He doesn't know what to call it. It it a wake, a vigil? Just a gathering of sad people? Is there a name for this?

He doesn't know Tony's apartment number but it doesn't matter. People are walking in and out a door, and Keith can hear more Spanish. It's obvious this where he's supposed to be. He stops just before walking through the door, just because it's open doesn't mean he is welcome. In fact he's probably far from welcome, how is he going to do this? This was not in the memo when he signed up to be a Paladin.

He looks into the apartment. Maybe if he sees Tony he can wave him over. Nice, quick simple. Luckily he does know Lance's brother, not personally, but he's seen him around the base, he talked to their class once. He is one of Keith's idols. Keith shakes his head, not quite understanding how Tony Taylor is Lance's brother, but that isn't important.

Keith does spot him quickly, only he's talking to two young girls, little girls, Keith thinks. They look around thirteen or ten, Tony's bent down to their level and Keith can tell they've been crying and though he can't hear him, Keith can tell he's trying to lift to the spirits. But one bursts out crying and runs from the room and the other just looks up at Tony forlornly.

"I can't interrupt that?" Keith mutters to himself.

"Hello?" a woman appears in front of him.

Keith startles and instantly chastises himself for not paying better attention. "Uh, hi."

"Are you…" the woman's voice breaks.

"I uh…"

"You must know, Lance?" she says. "I'm Mira Taylor, his mother."

She didn't need to tell him. Her eyes are the exact shade of blue as Lance's. Her expression is sad, which is expected but she's trying to smile and it makes it all that much worse to Keith. She is being kind to him. A stranger. Because she thinks he and Lance are friends. Keith feels wrong about it, it's all so wrong.

"Uh, we're friends, I guess," he stammers.

"It's so sweet of you to come by, you flew with him at the Garrison academy?"

Keith almost says no, because that's the truth. Or at least how he remembers it. He remembers Lance, though he'll never tell Lance that, but he never paid him much attention. He worried only about himself. He did know the others laughed at Lance, that they mocked him. He now knows in retrospect just how mocking calling him the Tailor actually was. He can't tell his mother any of this, though he has to tell her something.

"We were in classes together…" he nearly rolls his eyes at himself. He wants to run, he wants to just abort this mission and disengage.

"Come in, come in…" she smiles and grabs his arm/

"Oh, I…just…" he let's her drag him into the apartment. "I just, I just wanted to talk to Tony?"

"Do you know, Tony too?" Another broken smile and Keith feels the truth on the tip of his tongue but instead he lies.

"Yeah."

"Tony?" She yells across the room and motions him over. "I'll get you some iced tea," she says to Keith. Then she looks to the young girl still with Tony. "Marianna, come with me."

"No. I want to stay with Tony."

"Marianna…" Mrs. Taylor wraps an arm around her and pulls her with him.

It dawns on him then that the little girls are Lance's sisters, he feels both dense and kicked int he gut. He's a horrible person, he's standing here letting them grieve when their is no reason for them to.

"She's not taking it well, neither of them are" Tony says than laughs humorlessly. "No one is, but they're still kids and Lance was…." Tony trails off then because he finally looks at Keith.

Keith tries his best not to look awkward.

"Aren't you Keith Kogane?" he says and steps closer and Keith is very aware that Tony Taylor has several inches of height and weight on him.

"Yes, sir," he says automatically.

"You knew Lance?" he furrows his brows.

"We were in the same class."

"Yeah, I know but…" his tone deepens, "Why are you here?"

"We should talk about that in private if you don't mind."

Tony's expression turns from confused to a suspicious a glared and Keith finds himself feeling intimidating and that freaks him out more. He's never intimidated.

"It's important," Keith adds and he tries to look as friendly and sincere as possible.

"What are you doing here?" Tony barks out.

So much for looking sincere and friendly, Keith rolls his eyes internally, he is nothing but awkward and strange. He has to get Tony to leave with him though.

"It's about Lance," he blurts out.

"What?"

"But it's really best we don't…" he looks around the room and sees Lance's grandfather has arrived upstairs and he's still shouting in Spanish in a loud conversation with the woman who had shouted about the Garrison not letting them see the body.

The grandfather turns his head stops talking, and Keith realizes the man is looking at him. Keith feels frozen in place and the older man raises his cane and shouts in in English. "Who is this!"

"No one." Tony says his tone angry.

"Antonio!" Mrs. Taylor yells, appearing out of no where again. She hands Keith a glass of iced tea."You will not speak that way to one of your brother's friends."

Tony clenches his jaw but he doesn't stop looking at Keith like he suspects him of a crime.

"I apologize for him, he's always had a suspicious nature, he gets it from my father…"

"They are lying," the grandfather says on cue. "My grandson is not dead, they don't give me a body, I do not believe them. They are lying, and it's about that damn flying león azul."

"Papa, please." Mrs. Taylor pleads.

But the grandfather starts yelling in Spanish again and it sounds a lot like the one he heard down on the street. "I'm sorry for my father, like I said it's where Antonio gets his suspicious nature."

"He's not wrong, they are lying." Tony says.

"I will not be given false hope, Antonio!" she shouts.

Tony visibly stiffens and then his expression changes to sorrow. "I know, Mama, I'm sorry."

Mrs. Taylor hugs him. "I'm going to go check on Charlotte."

"Okay, Mama."

"Be nice to your brother's friend." Mrs. Taylor says before walking away.

Keith feels the intense need to run again, he does not want to have this responsibility. This is asking too much of anyone, he wants to end their pain and he can't.

"Could we please talk, elsewhere?" Keith asks.

"No, talk here." Tony says.

"It's better we talk outside… alone."

"Why?"

"It just is?"

"I need a better reason than that."

"Please?" Keith asks. "It's… crowded in here."

Tony looks around and the apartment is filled up, there are least ten people all around them and Keith can't even process having a family so big, so present. He feels jealousy rising again.

"Fine." Tony barks and he grabs Keith's arm hard and practically pushes him down the stairs and outside the front of the building. Tony walks over to his car, turns around leans on it and crosses his arms. His dark eyes staring at Keith.

"I'm waiting."

Keith opens his mouth but he can't form any words. How does he say this, how can he say this? It feels like it should be simple yet the words, Lance isn't dead don't want to leave his mouth.

"Are you going to talk or are you wasting my time?"

"Maybe you should just follow me," Keith says, thinking maybe this is a great time to show and not tell.

"I know you and my brother aren't friends. I know you blew him off when he tried. I know he thinks you're an asshole with a mullet. Why are you here?"

"I'm an asshole…" Keith reacts but he trails off when it hits him Tony's words are true. They probably are still true, Lance thinks he's an asshole. It prickles at him, he realizes that it bothers him. He frowns, and pushes it aside. He thinks Lance is an asshole too, it's all fair.

"Yes, you're an asshole." Tony says.

"Look, it's just… It is about Lance and…it's uh about his death…"

"WHAT?"

Keith knew that was the wrong thing to say before it fully left his mouth. Tony goes from distrust and annoyed to outright anger and he grabs Keith by the cover and spins them around, slamming Keith into the car and putting himself right into Keith's body space.

"You better start talking now before I knock your skull in."

"It's not bad, it's not bad…"

"Not bad! Not bad? My brother is dead, my family is shattered, Charlotte's not even talking just crying, my Dad isn't even in the country right now, he's stuck on some airplane trying to get back here to be with us, to be with my mom who I've never seen so sad in my life. You want to tell me something about not bad? What the hell has you here, what is it about my family's grief you wanted to see? Are you some sort of sick freak?"

"No, no, not a sick freak….looks it's not bad, it isn't! But you just need to see it."

"I'm not seeing anything without a good explanation. Give me one or I start punching," Tony spits, pushes Keith more into the car and positions his arm to punch him.

Keith stares, his mind is blank, he doesn't know what to do. He's going to get punched in the face. Tony's fist starts to move toward him and Keith braces but the punch doesn't come.

"Stop!" A voice yells, and Keith opens his eyes to see Lance grabbing his brother's shoulder. "Stop, Tony, stop, I'm not dead."


	7. Chapter 7

Lance

"Stop! Stop, Tony, stop, I'm not dead." Lance rushes for his brother's arm, grabbing hold of it and stopping him from hitting Keith. "Stop."

Tony turns and just stares right at Lance. Lance meets his brother's darker eyes and tries for a casual smile, but he knows it's probably more of a worried grimace. Lance isn't sure what he feels, he wants to apologize for being dead but he's not dead and it's not his fault his family thinks so. But isn't it?

"Lance?" Tony says his name in a tone Lance has never heard before, he lets go of Keith and steps forward. "Lance?"

He starts to nod but he never really does because he's suddenly being crushed by his brother's arms in the hardest hug of his life and if he's remembering correctly the first time he's brother has ever hugged him. His eyes go wide at the thought, and he tries to talk but he's being hugged way too hard. "Ow," he breathes out.

Tony lets go of him but then his hands are on his face and he's staring right into Lance's eyes, then they start to dart, then Tony's poking at the cut on his head. "You're hurt."

"A bit more now, that hug hurt."

Tony's still poking at his head and then he's looking in Lance's eyes again. "You have a concussion?"

"It's better than it was," Lance says.

Tony grabs him again and hugs him, this time with less brutal force. He feels his brother's breathe as he lets out a long sigh of what has to be relief. "I thought you were dead, baby brother."

Lance feels his throat constrict when he hears Tony's voice break and all his fears about how his family feel come slamming back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he mutters.

Tony releases him suddenly and shakes his head. "It's not your fault, what did the Garrison have you do? What are they covering up?"

Lance starts to laugh. It's hysterical, it's perfect really, his brother the conspiracy theorist who joined the ranks of the Garrison only because he loves to fly.

"This isn't funny, Lance," Tony yells.

Lance starts to laugh harder.

"Lance," Tony yells in a tone Lance knows so well.

"Took less than five minutes to irritate you, yeah I'm home," Lance grins and looks over at Keith. "Thanks for… well almost getting punched by this jerk."

Keith rolls his eyes.

"Jesus," Tony lets out a whistle and he's grabbing Lance again.

"To think I was missing Mom's hugs," Lance says then immediately wants to take back. He glances over at Keith but something about Keith's face has him forgetting his embarrassment. Keith is looking at the two of them rather oddly, and like he wants to be anywhere but here. Typical Keith, Lance thinks.

"Mom?" Tony sighs and he looks around. "We can't talk here."

"I told you!" Keith yells.

Both Lance and Tony turn to the Keith and Keith just looks back at them irritated.

"Why the hell are you with him, anyway?" Tony asks.

"I ask myself that every day," Lance says with a grin.

"Can we go to the car?" Keith says. "Before more of your never-ending family shows up or your grandpa comes back downstairs?"

"He has a point," Lance says.

Tony nods. Lance starts to follow Keith who took off like a bat out of hell, but Tony wraps an arm around his shoulder and mutters something about not letting him out of his sight. It's an awkward way to walk but Lance finds he's no hurry to be out of his brothers sight. For a lot of reason, but for the first time since they landed on earth he feels… Somewhat safe.

Safe is good.

"Perfect," Keith says sarcastically and Lance notices he stopped walking.

"What?"

"Cops."

Lance looks toward the car. "Great, just great, our bayards are in there."

"I know." Keith sighs. "Distract the cops, I'll get them."

"Just how are you going to do that?"

"I'll worry about that, distract the cops."

"How am I supposed to to that?"

"I don't know, yell Nanana Boo Boo again."

"That was a totally different situation, I wanted people to shoot at me."

"Well then come up with something else, don't waste my time. GO." Keith takes off.

Lance starts to step toward the car but a hand on his arm stops him. "I'll do it."

Lance looks at Tony and finds him shaking his head. "No, I have too it's my…" he searches. "It's my job. It's my weapon."

"What?"

"Later, Tony." Then he quickly walks forward

"Hey, officers, can I ask a question." He steps forward and then around them making them turn away from the car. He walks backwards a few more times luring them away.

"Sorry, sir but we're in the middle of a situation."

Lance looks around. "What? I don't see anything."

"This car was stolen," Cop starts to turn back around.

"I lost my kid." He blurts out.

They both turn back and look at him.

"Well, not my kid. I babysit her… I lost her."

"Where sir?"

"By that building over there," he points towards Tony's apartment.

Both the cops look. Lance takes his chance and looks over at the car. Keith has grabbed the backpack and is darting back to Tony. Lance runs towards them and the three of them move out of sight as quickly as possible. Tony grabs both of them and pushes them into another apartment building and down the stairs into a basement.

"How you know this was here?" Lance asks.

"Dated a girl who lives here, what the hell was that? You two stole a car?"

"We had no choice," Keith says.

"We really didn't and besides he stole it."

"Hey."

"Well you did."

"I know, so we could get out of there."

"I didn't say it was wrong."

"I think you implied that it was…"

"Shut up, the two of you."

Lance huffs and Keith crosses his arms.

"You told a cop you lost a kid?" Tony sighs.

"I'm sure he just thinks I was a douche."

"You are," Keith mutters.

"You are," Lance spits back wishing he'd thought of something way better than that.

"I said…shut up. Why and how are you two together? You're a drop out why would the Garrison out you on some special mission. Why would they put kids on one anyway. Let alone pick you," Tony stares at Lance.

Lance sighs. "I don't know maybe they thought I was a good soldier."

"Lance?" Keith says.

"You were barely surviving, you were one more failed simulation from getting kicked out."

"Was not, I am a good at my job."

"What job."

"Lance?" Keith yells.

"What?"

"The Garrison didn't put us on any mission. Our mission is Voltron."

Lance sighs, less than ten minutes Tony's telling him he can't do anything right and he's reaction is too argue. "Look, there probably is a conspiracy theory going on, so be happy about that, but it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Lance and Keith exchange a look.

"Well, I guess it starts when I rescued Shiro," Keith and Lance say in unison.

"I rescued Shiro," Keith yells.

"No, I did."

"You did not, you totally horned in…"

"SHUT UP," Tony yells again.

Lance looks away from Keith and towards his brother. Tony looks exasperated which is a look he knows all too well. And right now he's feeling a bit proud he and Keith ruffled him but…. He glances back at Keith, they are Paladins they have to focus on the lions. He nods at Keith to start again.

"It started when Takashi Shirogane crash landed by the base in an escape pod from a Galran ship." Keith explains.

"Shiro's dead."

"No, Tony, he's not. Do you want the story or not?"

"What is Galran?" Tony asks

"An alien race," Keith says.

"Bad guys," Lance adds.

Tony is staring at them both like they have two heads. He doesn't believe them. Lance steps up to his brother. "You need believe us and you need to listen. We aren't lying. We're going to need your help getting our lions back."

"Lions?" Tony stares at Lance. "That Blue Lion? It's part of this?"

Lance grins. "She's mine. I mean I'm hers… I mean I'm Blue's Paladin."

"Paladin?"

"Yeah, it's like a knight and stuff."

"I know what the word means, but there is no way you are a knight of anything."

"But he is, we both are," Keith shouts. "We need your help. We can't let the Garrison keep the Lions. We can't. They don't belong to them, they belong to us."

"Tony please?" Lance says. "You need to just let us explain everything the best we can."

"We have to get our lions back and we have to get back to the Castle ship."

"You two sound insane."

"But we aren't, Tony. Look the Garrison is lying about my death, about Hunk's and about Pidge. None of us are dead — at least I hope they aren't…"

"They aren't," Keith hisses.

"No, no you're right." Lance nods and hopes, then looks back at his brother. "We aren't dead, what happened is we took off in the Blue Lion."

Tony groans and looks around the basement. He grabs three chairs and gentle pushes Lance onto one. "You look dead on your feet and I've had enough of you being dead."

Lance realizes he is exhausted, his whole body seems to ache, especially his head. Sitting feels good, so he lets Tony push him into the seat. Then Tony and Keith take their seats.

Tony takes a deep breath and looks at them. "Okay, tell me what happened, without arguing and with out any more outside commentary."

Keith and Lance glance at each other. "Not sure I can promise no arguing," they say in unison, which makes them bust out laughing.

Tony groans in frustrating. "TRY."

Lance nods to Keith.

"Like I said it started with Shiro…."


	8. Chapter 8

Tony

He doesn't believe them.

None of it sounds real to him. It sounds like a movie or a television show. But, he's seen the footage of a blue lion, the real footage of it, on the desert, in the air, in space. And he knows, he knows the Garrison knows about the existence of aliens. The Garrison's been hearing the chatter for years, he's never heard it, he doesn't have the clearance but he knows people who do and they talk — even if the shouldn't.

"Tony?"

"I think we broke him."

"We did not break him, it's a lot to take in. Would you just take it all in without blinking your eye?"

"I did. We did."

"No we didn't! We freaked out, you yelled at me for going through the wormhole. Even though all of us decided…"

"Do you two ever stop arguing?" Tony asks.

"No." They say in unison.

Tony stares at them, he looks between them. They're both slumped in their chairs. Keith with his arms crossed, his eyes never really staying in one place. He keeps checking the stairs; afraid someone will walk down here and find them all. His eyes fall back onto Lance, he's slumped in his chair too but, his legs are wide and he keeps blinking. Fighting to stay awake, Tony thinks, he looks exhausted, pale, and sick. Tony can't help but focus on the one thing that really matters to him. Lance is alive. He thought he was never going to see his baby brother again.

Something sharp hits him his gut and he feels anger he's never really known before. How dare the Garrison lie.

"Tony?" Lance is saying again.

"Let him process."

"I can check on him if I want he's my brother."

"We told him a lot."

'You just said he should be able to just deal with it like we did…"

"You pointed out we were sucky at it too remember."

Tony goes back to his other thought as he looks between them. What the hell is this thing they keep doing? It's arguing and glaring but there is something else he's seeing he can't put his finger on it. Keith's staring right at Lance, Lance is meeting the glare, their whole bodies turn toward in the other, closer and closer. They both look ready to jump out of their chairs and butt heads like ornery bulls.

"Are you saying I'm right?" Lance asks his mouth twitching.

"Uh…"

Lance grins. "I WIN!"

Keith glares at him and crosses his arms again.

Tony rolls his eyes at them realizing he's just stalling thinking about the real problem. He has no idea what to do. He can't leave Lance here, or alone, he can't not tell his family. But his grandfather? Tony sighs and he pulls his cellphone out of his back pocket.

Keith is suddenly grabbing his arm and Lance is on his feet yelling at Keith. "Hey, hey, Keith what the hell?"

"Who are you calling?" Keith snaps.

"None of your business."

"I think it is."

"Keith," Lance says.

"I'm just calling a friend, okay. I just need to ask someone some questions."

"Who?"

"Look, Keith, I don't have to explain myself to you."

Keith looks over at Lance. Tony looks at Lance too, expecting Lance to be glaring at Keith as seems per usual, but Lance isn't. He looks pensive and he's looking at Keith and the phone in Tony's hand and then he sighs.

"Who are you calling?"

"What?"

"Who are you calling?"

"Look…"

"No, Tony. This is about US. If you are making a call about this situation that is about me and him, and our our… Mission as Paladins of Voltron, you have to keep us in the loop."

Tony blinks at him. He's not understanding this Paladin thing, it sounds so dungeon and dragons, and he was never into that kind of thing. "You aren't just yanking me around on this Knight thing?"

"No. It's a big deal," Lance says, wide eyed, his expression earnest, and Tony wants to smack him for his lack of cynicism.

"So, tell us who you are calling," Keith says and Tony looks into distrusting eyes. At least one of them cynical. But Keith's saying they're knights too, he's all in with the whole fantastical story.

"My friend, Brent. Lance, you know him. He has the clearance, I think, to well help me see if your story has merit."

"If our.. You don't believe me." Lance moves closer and shakes his head.

"It's…" Tony sighs. "Just let me do this, okay. I'm not going to mention you being alive. Okay."

Lance nods.

Tony starts to move toward the stairs but Keith is in front of him.

"You can make the call right here, in front of us then."

Tony looks to Lance, but Lance has mirrored Keith's defensive stance.

He sighs, finds Brent's contact information and hits call. Keith's eyeing Lance again but they seem to be talking silently instead of glaring. Lance shakes his head and Keith cocks his and Lance sighs.

"Put it on speaker." Lance says.

"What?"

"Just do it, okay," Lance snaps and he's glaring at both him and Keith.

"Fine." Tony puts it on speaker just as Brent picks up.

"Hey, Tony? Are you okay, man? What can I do?"

Tony remembers with a heavy heart why his friend is reacting this way to his phone call and he finds himself slinging an arm around Lance pulling him into an awkward one armed hug. But damn he thought his baby brother was dead.

"Uh, I just… you know my Abuelo Antonio?"

Brent's chuckle comes out of the phone. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"What can you tell me about that blue lion, you know to just give him some information to you know shut up for a bit. He's so sure it's connected to Lance…"

"I can't tell you anything."

"No just something…"

"I can't tell you anything." Tony feels himself bristle at Brent's tone.

"Is it?" he asks.

"Is what?"

"Is that lion related to my brother's…"

"Crap, damn it. Tony, look, it is related but I can't tell you anything. I can't."

Tony closes his eyes.

"I'm sorry he's gone, man. I liked him."

"Yeah…"

"But they may call you in you know."

"Huh, what?"

"Look, you didn't hear it from me but there may be a need for a pilot soon and you're the golden boy right now. And hey with that kid washing out, no chance of being dethroned, right?"

Keith snickers.

Lance bows his head and groans.

"Something to fly? I thought it disappeared off our radar."

"It did but… something big happened. I've said way too much, man this is a phone. I wish, I wish I could change what happened to your brother."

"No, no, man, I get it." Tony shakes his head. It's true then. The lion, probably all the other things they said that sounded like nonsense. "Thanks, Brent."

"No problem. Stop by when things…how long do you think your family is staying." Tony looks at Lance, thinking about their family and watches his brother's face fall.

"Tony?" Lance's voice sounds small.

"What?" he asks but he knows the question.

"Can we tell mom and dad now?"

"Dad's not even here, he's stuck on a plane."

"Then Mom."

"I… I don't know."

"No." Lance says his voice low. "No. I am not keeping it from them. No. Not any longer than it needs to be."

"Lance."

"Damn it. No. They need to know, so do Pidge and Hunk's families. We can't let the Garrison lie any more than we can let them keep our lions."

The lions.

"Which is why he has to get us to the lions before anything," Keith yells.

"He can't just walk in, we gotta give him time for a plan. We can deal with my family now."

"Lance, the lions are more important."

"No, Keith, they aren't."

"Maybe to you," Keith mutters.

"Well, yeah, Keith, MY FAMILY." Lance shouts.

Tony doesn't have the first clue what to do but he does know one thing. "We can't tell Abuelo Antonio."

"What?"

"Lance, think about it. He already thinks they are lying about your death. We show him you, you're his proof. He'll start shouting at everyone he can think at to make them listen. He'll not only get himself arrested but the two of you arrested… Do they know you two are here? Does the Garrison know you came back with the lions?"

The two of them look at the other and both shake their heads.

"We don't know," Lance says.

"Great, just great… this is FUBAR."

"Tony, Mom?"

"I know, I know… let me think. I gotta take you two somewhere safe." An idea forms, it's crappy idea but it's the only one he has. She is in Europe, she won't know they were there. He can cover their tracks. "Okay, okay, I know where to take you."

"Where?"

"My exes house."

"Which one?"

"The one," Tony sighs.

"The ex-finance's house, are you crazy?" Lance says.

"Yes. She's out of town, it'll be fine."

"How do you know she's out of town."

"We still have mutual friends."

"I don't see the problem," Keith says and when Lance looks at him he shrugs. "We have to go somewhere, Lance. If it's available it's available."

"I just want to go home," Lance mumbles but he nods his head. "Fine."

"I'll get my car, stay down here." Tony grabs Lance and hugs him, he chuckles when Lance says ow into his shoulder and lets him go. Taking a long look, telling himself if he leaves his sight for a few minutes he won't vanish again. But he can't stop the fear.

"Yeah, getting the car." He rushes out this time.

Lance

Lance watches his brother run up the stairs and he wants to just rush after him. He wants to rush out of this building and to his brothers and to his family. He can't do anything about the Garrison and Lions, not yet, not without more information and a plan. But he can see his family and he wants that, he needs that.

"You sure we can trust him?" Keith asks.

"Yes," Lance says turning to Keith. Keith is looking at him, his expression showing his distrust. "We can trust him."

"He didn't believe us."

"He did he just… it is a wild story."

"You trust that guy he called?"

"I don't know, I met him like once."

"I don't like it."

"Do you like anything?" Lance asks.

Keith meets his eyes and says one word. "Red."

Lance opens his mouth but he has no quip for that, there isn't, he can see it Keith's eyes. He's seen it since he woke Keith up in Red. All Keith cares about is his lion, it's all that matters to him. It's the priority.

"I like Blue too, a lot, Keith. But this is my family. He's my brother. And he can help us. We need help."

"He has no more idea of what to do than we do, you know."

"Yeah but he has more friends like Brent."

"Who we don't know."

Lance sighs. "Look, I know you don't trust me, or like me, or whatever but I'm right about this. I just am."

Keith stares at him for the longest time. "I trust you. It's everyone else I don't."

Lance blinks, he doesn't know what to do with that at all. Keith trusts him? Since when and what the hell? It feels huge and he finds himself just staring at Keith somewhat slack jawed from the revelation. Keith's staring back at him, a weight in his eyes and Lance is starting to wonder if they're having a moment or something when Tony appears at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, come one you two. Cars running."

"Still don't like you," Keith snipes before he takes the stairs.

"Yeah, well, I don't like you either, Mullet." Lance follows him up the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Keith

Tony's ex-girlfriend has a nice house.

It's one story but it has a kitchen, a dinning room, two bedrooms and a basement. Keith feels completely out of place. It's too nice with its off white walls and green curtains. There are shelves of books, CDs, DVDs, and knick knacks. Whoever this woman is she likes things shaped liked stars. He's staring at rocks and crystals arranged on a table, wondering really what is the point of having well rocks.

They're pretty. But it's not like you need them.

Maybe it's how he grew up, group home after group home, foster home after foster home. He didn't even last long at the Garrison academy. So it was another home he had and lost in the blink of an eye.

He thinks about his shack, he'd found it abandoned and made it his own. He got some books, not just for entertainment but he learned about myth and deserts. About exploring caves because he had to know what it was he'd been feeling, he had to learn about the Blue lion on the walls.

Keith frowns, he still doesn't know how the carvings on the walls knew about Shiro's arrival. He still doesn't know why he was so drawn to the energy because Blue chose Lance as her pilot. She was waiting for him, Keith remembers. When Lance lit up the sigils, when he just knocked on the force field it'd irritated Keith. This was his quest and Lance just walks in and takes it over.

Well not really, he reminds himself. Just for a beat. Keith found his own lion, and he wouldn't trade Red for anything. He closes his eyes, and he can almost hear Red's purr in his head. But almost isn't good enough. Almost is never good enough.

"Kid, sit, turn on the TV or something," Tony says walking back into the living room after being in the kitchen.

"Why would I do that?"

"Watch TV? I don't know gotta be something you like to watch."

"I've never had a TV."

Tony gives him a weird look.

Keith finds himself wishing for Lance, and he instantly rolls his eyes at himself. But he can't deny at least with Lance there is no awkward silence. Lance is just always talking. Yammering on and on, and Keith just wants to shut him up. Why is he thinking about this?

"She's got tons of books, she's pretty eclectic in her taste, go ahead and read some."

Keith glances at the bookcases and contemplates it but he ends up staying where he is, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. He looks towards where the bathroom is, where Lance is taking a shower.

"Look, she's got nothing in the kitchen, cause well she's in Europe. So, I'm going run to the store and grab you guys stuff. Then, um… Going to figure out how to tell my mom and bring over here."

Keith nods.

Tony doesn't move.

"What?" Keith asks.

"Why did you get tossed out of the Academy? You were the most promising pilot the program has had in decades. I've seen some of your flights, they broke all my records, by enough to really bruise my ego."

"I'm not a good team player."

"That's it?" Tony shakes his head.

"I prefer to work alone."

Tony stares at him. "Didn't Lance just tell me that this whole Paladin thing is a team thing? You, him, Shiro and the other missing kids?"

Keith shrugs.

"Yeah… okay." Tony looks towards the bathroom with a weird look on his face.

Keith starts to feel really out of place again and just for something to do he walks over to the bookcase. But he feels Tony just standing there where he is and it's nagging at him. He turns and glares at him. "Weren't you going to get food?"

Tony startles and looks back toward him. "I just… kind of afraid he won't be here if I leave."

"That's stupid. Where would he go?"

"You aren't close to your family are you?"

"I don't have a family."

Tony instantly looks ashamed, and Keith turns because he doesn't want anyones pity. "Sorry… Yeah, I'm going. Tell him I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure," Keith says and he looks back to the bookcase. He hears Tony leave and sighs in relief. No more awkward conversation. He frowns at the books and decides to really give it a try. There are a lot of books maybe he can find something useful to read. He starts reading titles, taking one out now and again, but they all seem to be fiction. A lot of genres but just all fiction and he sighs. Doesn't she have like one non-fiction book? Anything? He keeps searching, though, because it's the only thing he has to do.

"Man, Keith, how many books you gonna snub before you pick one?"

Keith jumps startled. He turns to glare at Lance, but ends up just staring. He's wearing a pair of jeans but hasn't put a shirt on yet. He's drying his hair with a towel, and Keith just keeps wondering why the hell he didn't put on the shirt. Shouldn't he put on the shirt? He stares feeling disconcerted.

"Well, what makes you such a picky reader?"

"Uh… I don't like fiction."

"What?" Lance gives him a weird look. "Of course you don't, you probably want to read the 100 ways to poison a person."

"That would be useful information."

Lance eyes him, and then drops the towel over the back of Tony ex-girlfriends really nice couch. Keith steps forward and grabs it. "We don't live here."

"Whatever, she loves me."

Keith snorts.

"No, seriously, I think she liked me more than Tony," Lance grins. "She's got a great movie collection. We should watch something."

"Not into movies."

"You aren't into anything. Well, anyway I'm watching a movie so you are…" he looks around. "Where is Tony?"

"He went to get food for us."

"Oh. Not to get my mom?"

"He said he'd do that after he got us food."

Lance nods and walks away.

Keith rolls his eyes when he realizes Lance put the towel back on the couch. With a frustrated groan he picks it up and starts walking toward the bathroom. Lance is in it, with a shirt on but Keith finds himself staring at his chest anyway for heartbeat before he looks away.

Then he realizes Lance is brushing his teeth. "You're using her toothbrush?"

"No, eww, Keith that's gross," Lance kicks his foot against the cabinet under the sink. "She has extras, grab one too."

Keith stares and him and then realizes the shirt isn't the one he stole for Lance. "Where you'd get the shirt?"

"It's Tony's. Remembered where she kept them, helped her do laundry a few times. She stole a lot of his shirts, hey…" he walks out of the bathroom and into the main bedroom. Keith follows him, arms crossed against his chest, watches Lance open a drawer. He is ruffling through a pile of fabric. Wonders how many shirts this girl stole from Tony. "Ah, here it is." He turns and throws something at Keith.

Keith finds himself holding a red shirt that has a picture of airplane on the front. He just stares at it confused.

"Might be a bit big, Tony's got Thor arms, but it's clean, right?"

"Why are being so friendly?" Keith asks looking back at Lance.

Lance stares at him, then he steps forward and grabs the shirt. "Fine, put those stinky clothes back on after your shower, or don't take one. See if I care." He slams the shirt back into the drawer.

Keith groans.

Lance starts walking out of the room.

"I'm sorry."

Lance stops and turns around.

"I'm…" Keith walks over to the drawer and grabs the shirt. "I just want us to get off of this rock."

"This rock is home."

"Not for me."

Lance watches him for a long beat. "You really have no one?"

"Shiro. He was a good mentor and friend. When he went missing…" Keith trails off.

"That why you got like ten times worse to try to work with? You missed Shiro?"

Keith sighs. "Was I that bad?"

"Dude, you got kicked out."

"I just… felt aimeless, until the desert."

"And weird woo-woo Voltron energy?"

"Yeah."

"So, everything that's happened since then… it's. It's what you wanted?"

"Wanted?"

"Shiro back. Voltron. It's what you wanted, I mean maybe not exactly but?"

Keith stares at Lance and finds himself nodding. "Stopping Zarkon is a purpose. A good purpose."

Lance nods. "Yeah, it is."

"Even if you have to leave here?"

Lance looks down at the floor but when he looks up his expression is determined. "I am a Paladin of Voltron, Allura's mission of peace, to stop Zarkon. Yeah, I'm in. I have to save Earth."

"Right? Yeah," Keith looks away and wonders when he forgot that part of things. They had to stop Zarkon or he'd kill their home world. Home? Keith sighs.

"You should get cleaned up, too."

Keith nods.

"Keith, man, we'll get our Lions back. We'll figure it out."

"We better."

Lance nods.

"I'm gonna hit the shower."

"She has great water pressure."

Keith looks at him, and though he's all clean he still looks dead tired to Keith. "You should rest."

"Yeah, I guess a movie can wait."

Keith nods at him then takes off for the bathroom with the shirt.

Twenty-five minutes later, Keith steps out of the bathroom to hear Lance shout from the kitchen.

"GARLIC KNOTS, Tony, I love you."

"Yeah, well, I know they're you favorite."

Keith finds himself in the kitchen, and wonders when he decided to go towards the conversation. Lance has his mouth full but when he sees Keith he smiles anyway and points to the take out bag.

Keith shakes his head.

Lance swallows. "Keith, just try one."

"I'm good."

"No you're not, you haven't eaten any more than I have."

"I had a sandwich."

"That was like yesterday at this point." Lance looks out the window. "How late is it Tony?"

"Late, we're lucky there is a 24 hour store around here."

"See, it's late. Eat."

Keith shakes his head.

"You are so annoying you know that, Keith? Tony brought us food."

Keith looks at Tony and then at the food. He's being an ass. "Fine,"

Lance grins and sticks his hand the bag and then holds out a garlic knot to him. Keith grabs it, thinking it's just a garlic knot, but then he puts it in his mouth and starts chewing and his eyes widen. "These are awesome," he says with his mouth still full.

"See, I told you."

Keith just gives an small smile and grabs another knot.

"Hey, don't hog them!" Lance shouts.

Then Tony's cellphone rings.

"Who's calling you so late?" Lance asks.

"Mom."

Lance's whole expression goes from lit up about garlic knots, to sad and worried. Tony doesn't look much better than Lance but he answers the phone. Keith has to look away for a moment, it feels wrong he's here.

"Hey, Mom."

Lance moves closer to Tony, leaning his head in. Keith stares at him, wondering what the hell he is doing before he realizes. Lance is trying to hear her voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I, uh, had to take that kid Keith home. I should have called…."

Lance leans in closer. Tony sighs and moves the phone so Lance can kind of put his ear up to it too. Lance covers his mouth with his hand and Keith just knows he doing it so he won't speak.

"He is? I didn't think he'd land so soon? Yeah, yeah. I'll go pick him Mom. Okay. See you." Tony hangs up.

"Dad," Lance says and he looks hopeful. "You can bring him too."

Tony nods. "I'll bring them, I promise."

Lance hugs his brother.

Tony looks surprised but then he's hugging Lance back.

Keith grabs another garlic knot and steps out of the kitchen. He wanders over to the bookcase again because searching for a book to read beats seeing all that familial love. Maybe he'll hide in the basement when Tony brings in Lance's parents.


	10. Chapter 10

Lance

It is all his fault.

Lance fiddles with a napkin from the take out place, slowly ripping it into pieces. His family thinks he is dead and its all his fault. He hopes his mom can forgive him for not thinking about them. He just left, he flew off of earth and into a wormhole without given it any thought past it being cool.

It is cool, though he thinks looking back on the past month or so. He pilots a lion of Voltron. He's a Paladin of water or some such thing — he's been meaning to ask Coran about the elements. He knows he misses rain and he wonders if Blue knew that about him. How he loved the water?

He rips up more of the napkin and shakes his head. He can't think about Blue right now, or the fight against Zarkon. They just aren't the priority, even if he's been agreeing with Keith on that. But Keith doesn't understand what family is, what it means and how Lance hurt his by not thinking before he left their entire section of the universe.

He looks at the time. Sighs as he watches the second hand move and idly tries to figure out how many ticks have past. Too many. He feels trapped in the house and he's impatient. He needs his parents. He needs them like if he was still a little kid. Only they could make the world right when it went upside down.

And it's all upset down, he thinks and he has to move. He gets up but he really doesn't move far. He just goes to the window, and looks out at the driveway and past it to the street. He starts willing Tony to hurry, starts hoping for the next car that pulls on the street is an ugly orange.

"You're annoying me," Keith says from behind him.

"That's not news." He rolls his eyes.

"He's going to come back."

"I know."

"Do you? Cause you're acting like it's a funeral."

"You do realize they were probably planning one for me, Keith? You did heear my Abuelo shouting about my body. It was because they were going to have a funeral. FOR ME. A funeral, Keith. So, yeah it is like a funeral because this isn't funny, it's not a game and I'm not just being impatient."

"Staring at the street won't make them show up faster."

"What else can I do?"

"We should be coming up with a plan."

"A plan?"

"To get our Lions out of Garrison hands? You know massive super-science things Earths not ready for or prepared for? It also isn't funny and it's also me not being impatient. We have to put the lions first, rescue them and then we need to find the others."

"Even if we could get the lions back how would we find the others?"

"Blue took us to Arus didn't she? Maybe they can find Allura again?"

Lance turns from the window and looks at Keith. "Right? Sure they'll just magic us to her."

"Blue has."

"That was different."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is…that was like some homing beacon was activated by her choosing me. It was programed to take us to Arus."

"Well, if it's a homing beacon it's probably still there?"

"I just don't think it works like that… and Allura and the others wouldn't be on Arus anyway. We have no clue if the lions can sense Allura like she can them…. We don't know anything and we don't even have the lions yet, so whatever."

He can't think about this right now. He can't. His family still thinks he's dead.

"Which is why we need a plan."

"Not now."

"I hate this," Keith shouts frustrated.

Lance narrows his eyes. "YOU hate this?"

"What? I'm not allowed to hate how we crash landed back here and now our Lions are in government hands. They won't let us take them back you know. Their first priority is going to be figuring out how to use them as weapons. Do you want that?"

"No…." Lance huffs. "Fine. You're right. Hate all that."

"Oh, I suppose what you're hating is much more important."

Lance lets out a frustrated groan. "Have you been paying attention? I mean I've always thought you were dense but this dense even for you. So one more time… My family thinks I'm dead. And it's my fault. That's what I hate."

"How is it your fault the Garrison lied?"

"Keith." Lance shakes his head turns back to the window and frowns when a red car turns onto the street instead of orange. "I ran off with Blue, I basically ran away. I didn't give them any thought until we were all so caught up in the Paladin thing that I couldn't turn back."

"That's stupid."

"No it's not."

"Not like you did it on purpose."

"I did not think about what my absence would do to my family until that damn party I got blew up at. Hadn't thought about earth, garlic knots, my mom. None of it. I was caught up with being cool and awesome because I was a pilot, a Paladin of Voltron. I forgot my real life. That is on me, Keith."

"Stupid to blame yourself for something we all did."

"We?" Lance rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, all of us?"

"No, Keith. You didn't forget anyone, you have no one!"

Keith's entire expression hardens, his arms cross defensively and he looks away from Lance. Lance instantly feels horrible. Remind the guy no one cares that he missing why don't you? Idiot. That was nice, really nice. Ugh, why does he always end up making me feel like an asshole?

"I'm sorry…. All I mean, is you didn't have obligations here. I did, I do. I run off and never gave them a second thought until it was too late to even let them know where I was. I mean, we were so far away I don't even have term for how far… I can't convert it into kilometers or miles. We were too far."

"Feeling guilty gets you no where, it's just self-indulgent bullcrap."

"Whatever, Keith."

"Anyway your parents are about to find out the truth."

"Yeah and be disappointed in me."

"That's… that's what your scared of?"

"I'm not scared?" Lance glares.

"Whatever, I just…we need to get the lions."

"I need to deal with my family first."

"I hate this," Keith yells again.

"Yeah, well join the club, stand in line, I think they're running out of shirts."

They fall into silence. Lance is surprised Keith stays where he is behind his shoulder. He expected him to stalk off and leave him alone. Not like Keith really cares about him. They're teammates but they aren't really friends. Lance scowls feeling him there, over his shoulder, it's irritating.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for your parents to show up."

"Yeah, why?"

Keith rolls his eyes and throws his hands in the air. "I don't know… I guess I want you to see your family isn't going to blame you."

"They should."

"But they won't."

"And what do you know about family?"

"I watched you and your brother, okay. He's an ass, you know?"

"Yeah, I know he is, he's my ass…er…my brother."

"Right. Exactly. He's not blaming you for anything. And I met your mom and she was nice and all… So, yeah you aren't going to get blamed or yelled at."

"Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"Is it working?"

"No."

For some reason that makes Keith smile and Lance is taken aback.

"I didn't think it would, but… I wanted to try."

Lance's mouth falls open.

Keith shrugs.

Lance isn't sure what to do with the idea of Keith being friendly — well, trying to be friendly — to him. It's weird, it feels almost unnatural and odd. "I like it better when you're being a jerk."

"Yeah, well, so do I."

"Good we both agree you're a jerk."

"You know you'll have to leave them again."

There he is, Keith the jerk. Lance turns away from him to go back to staring out the window. He's not going to answer that question.

He hears Keith sigh in frustration. Then he finally he leaves the kitchen and Lance alone. Lance lets out a breath of relief. He appreciates the guy trying, but its so clear he doesn't get it.

It's kind of sad really, he thinks, Keith not having anyone. Who looks out for him? Who fed him? Taught him to walk, read and play catch. Who yelled at him when he screwed up, and who wiped his tears when he was sad?

Lance feels his face crumble, his parents faces flashing in his mind and he hopes he can make it through the reunion without crying like a baby in front of Keith. He focuses at staring out side, hoping his brother will turn up soon with his parents. It wasn't the whole family, but they were the most important — though he really wants to tell his sisters he's okay too.

Keith's reminder that he'll have to leave again surfaces. Its unwelcome in his mind. He can't deal with thinking about that right now. Right now his family, that's all he can deal with. Maybe the lions are Keith's priority but they aren't his, not right now. Lance thinks Blue would get it and that helps him to breath easier.


	11. Chapter 11

Lance

He's at the window. Staring out, counting cars and hoping to the bright orange of Tony's crappy car. He's worried, he feels like it all his fault. Everything they've gone through since he left. He just can't shake it and he doesn't know what he's going to say to them. And the idea of explaining it all again is daunting,. He keeps seeing Tony's face after they told him the whole story. He didn't believe them, he didn't believe them until his friend hedged on the phone and made Tony realize there was some truth to their words.

"Can't blame him…." He mutters to hims as disappointment shoots through him that the car turning onto the street is red and not orange.

"What?"

Lance gasps and turns. "What the hell, Keith?"

"What?" Keith asks as he bites into one of the last garlic knots. "I got hungry again."

"Leave me one."

"Yeah, whatever. What can't you blame who for?"

Lance rolls his eyes. "It's not important."

"Then don't mutter."

"Don't eavesdrop."

Keith rolls his eyes.

Lance turns back to the window.

"Again, staring won't make it happen…"

Lance stops listening as Tony car is in sight. He stares from the window, mouth open, eyes wide and his heart the only thing he can here. They're here. He watches as father climbs out of the car, he's in a wrinkled suit. His father offers his hand to his mother.

"They look tired," he says and bites his bottom lip. "She's been crying…" he feels his own eyes start to sting. He wipes at his eyes and tells himself no — no crying. He watches them walk up the back steps toward the backdoor that leads into the kitchen, then he hears his mother talking.

"Tony you better have a good reason you are taking us to Isabel's home, I know she is out of town. I don't understand this, you better have good explanation. I shouldn't have left the girls…"

She sounds awful, her voice is rough and he knows it is from crying. But she sounds beautiful, it's like birds chirping or a sweet melody. It's his mom's voice and it's hugs and kisses and chocolate pudding.

"Antonio, you better start talking now about why you've dragged us here. I need to see my daughters.

His dad sounds mad. Angry and short tempered. Lance feels his stomach drop out, knowing his father is going to be so disappointed in him. Both his parents want to be with his sisters and Lance is afraid to really think about his little sisters. What has this done to them? He starts to shake his head, wanting the thoughts out. He jumps hearing door start to open and the thoughts of his sisters vanish. Fear and guilt overwhelm him and he turns to Keith, opens his mouth but he can't talk, so he runs out of the room.

"Lance!"

He hears Keith, but he can't stop moving, he goes down the basement steps and into Isabel's electronic filled basement. He goes to the old ratty couch he knows she has down here by her washer and dryer. Lance plops down and holds his head in his hands. He wants to rush to his parents but he can't stand it, he can't see the disappointment on their faces.

He left them.

"Lance?"

He looks up to see Keith staring down at him, his expression is weird. It's not bored or sullen or disinterested. He's looking right at Lance and Lance feels squirmy under the intensity. But he meets Keith eyes, thinking that he never noticed that they were sort of violet before.

"What?"

"They're in the kitchen, Tony looks confused as why you're not there."

"No."

"He can't tell them without you there."

"I…"

"They aren't going to be mad, Lance," Keith shouts.

"What would you know!"

"I'm not stupid."

"That's up for debate."

"Come on," Keith grabs his harm and tugs.

Lance refuses to move and he and Keith both fall into the couch in an awkward tangle of limbs and they shove at the other until Lance is sprawled on the couch and Keith's on the floor glaring up at him.

"What's your problem?"

"The faster this happens the faster we can get to the lions."

"That's all you care about."

"And all you seem to care about is your family, yet they get here and you run and hide."

"You don't get it."

"I don't think you get it!"

"Keith, stay out of it."

"No. Go see them."

"No."

"Fine. I'll get THEM then," Keith yells. He moves so quickly he's gone before Lance can shout at him to stop. He's gone before Lance even makes it to his feet. But Lance runs after him, only thinking about stopping him but when he runs into the living room instead of finding Keith he finds his parents.

He freezes in place. He can't breathe, he can't do anything but stare. They stand there, looking like they just stepped out of a hug. His mother stares at him and then looks over at Keith and stares back at him. But his father is just staring right at him, eyes wide and his mouth open.

Lance is staring at his mom again, her dark eyes and he hates that can see how hard she's been crying. He sees tear tracks on her face and she looks so tired. His heart breaks and he just bursts out.

"I didn't mean too, I really didn't, I didn't mean it, I just didn't think…." "He is babbling and he knows it and he's crying but he can't seem to stop it.

"No, no, no," his mother says, over and over again. It takes him a minute to realize it's in his ear, it takes him a moment to realize she's hugging him tighter than he's ever been hugged before. He crumples then, words can't be formed and he cries because he missed her and he never meant for any of this happen.

His mother starts to let go and he clings tighter and she's in his ear again. "Shh, shh, Va estar bien. Todo va estar bien. No te preocupes. Esta bien, Esta bien. Then her hands on his face and she's staring up at him and he hates the tears in her eyes but she's smiling. Then she's kissing him, all over his face over and over again.

"Mijo... ya te tengo aqui. Mijo, mijo."

He can barely breathe but he doesn't care. He's home. He's home. He's clinging to her that when he feels strong hands on his shoulders, trying to pull him away he fights it before he realizes it is his father. Then he really loses his breath because he's father is hugging him bone-crushingly tight, a lot like Tony had earlier and Lance knows his father's never hugged him like this before. He feels his father kiss the top of his head and then he too grabs his face and just stares right at him.

"You are here?" he asks.

"Yeah, Dad…yeah," everything comes out of his mouth broken, he's crying but it's okay. It's okay. "I'm home."


	12. Chapter 12

Billie

She is tired and hungry. But she can't stop staring up at the ships…no beasts…robots? Billie doesn't even know what to call them they are so far past her experience, past what her mind can comprehend. Robots. She builds robotics, she creates ships. She never in her wildest dreams would have thought make one a lion? Who thought of this? What thought of this?

Which was the other thing. Aliens. She's not surprised, no, she dreamed of the possibility for far far too long. Yet it was with her human expectations. No, now she knows when you think alien…

It's alien.

It seems so obvious, but it's not. She stares up at the impossible again, specifically the Blue one, she feels almost drawn to it and she doesn't understand it at all. The Red one feels looming, dangerous but the Blue one. The Blue one feels open.

Feels.

She is a scientist. She is an engineer. She doesn't FEEL things. In fact all her life she's been excused of being too cerebral, of having no heart. Too rational and not emotional. Be human, Billie! Was yelled at her, and she'd scream back but no one ever believed her when it came to how hard she could feel.

She shakes her head, why she is she thinking about all of that now? No, she has to focus, she has to concentrate. They need to get into the Blue Lion. And now, her superiors are impatient and she doesn't know what to do?

Her heart hammers and she closes her eyes and wishes she had he ability to meditate but her brain is too loud for that, way too loud and full of a million thoughts. One thought at a time, she thinks. One at a time.

"Byron have you found a door?"

"No," Byron yells from where he is, steadied by climbers gear by the Blue lions ear. "Nothing. It all looks seamless."

"Well, it can't be. We saw footage from satellites of someone leaving this thing."

"Who would leave this thing?" Byron yells down.

"I don't know," Billie says and she means it. She'd never leave this thing alone.

"Think it was aliens? Like some alien is just running around out there now?"

"I don't know…." She frowns. The footage was spotty as hell but the figure looked human enough. "They're not giving us all the facts."

"Maybe more would help us find the door."

"I doubt that."

"Well, going check around the mouth, hopefully I won't get chewed."

Billie laughs and Byron sends her grin as he starts his descent toward the mouth of the beast. She stares up at and swears the lion looks like its smiling. But that's impossible, but she glances over toward the Red one and she swears it's glowering. Do they have personalities? She shakes her head and turns around, she walks over to where she's hooked up wires to the lion where she can only guess possible power sources or something might be. But it's all wide guesses but she's let her computers do their thing for awhile now…

"Time to see if the shot in the dark worked…"

"Shots in the dark?" A voice says sharply from behind her. "We brought you here for results, Dr. Hart."

Billie sighs and turns. "Colonel Iverson, this is an unknown flying aircraft, all I have are shots in the dark."

"Well, have you found out anything at all. It's been over 48 hours."

Barely, she thinks. "Well, let's see…" she presses some buttons and her program comes up on three computer screens. She stares at the information because none of it makes sense to her at all. She presses buttons, reaches deeper into the coding she is seeing and frowns. "This is… gibberish…"

"Gibberish. We need better than that, Hart."

She bites her lip. "But… but there is some baseline of universal code… I might be able to teach myself what it all means."

"Good, good, you have until tomorrow, 1300."

"Maybe if…" she murmurs to herself as she reads the code, grabbing a notebook having already forgotten Iverson.

Lance

Lance sits down in the kitchen with a thump, for the first time in over an hour he isn't being crushed against one of his parents or Tony. His mother hugs were all he wished for when he felt homesick. Everything, being wrapped up in her softness, where she smelled like fruity perform and cooking. He clung, he isn't going to sugar coat, he clung to her because he needed it, he missed it, he was hurt and hungry and homesick.

But he is home. And it's good. Better than he thought, he doesn't understand why they aren't mad at him. He doesn't really care to because it's a relief, it's a huge relief off his shoulders. But now he knows when he goes back with Blue, leaving Earth behind again he's also going to miss the way his father kisses the top his head when he hugs him. And the way Tony doesn't let him breathe for a full minute before remembering he does want his little brother to live.

Lance shuts his eyes and shakes his head. No, he's not going to think about leaving. No. It's pointless thought anyway, he has no way to leave and he isn't sure how they're going to be able to change that at all.

Hands land on his shoulders, shocking him and he bends his back and realizes it's his father. His father is looking down at him with a smile but Lance sees something in his eyes. A sadness and a confusion. His parents are taking his story about as well as Tony did. Disbelief hasn't left their faces yet, Tony's backing him up but Tony's reasons to believe him didn't come from Lance's words. They came from things his friend wouldn't say to him on the phone.

"Your brother left to talk to his friend, I told him not to bother him this late — or early rather." They both look out the kitchen window to see the sun beginning to rise. "I hope he can confirm what you're saying…"

"Still don't believe me?"

Mack Taylor sighs, his hands leave Lance's shoulders and he sits down himself and pulls his chair closer to his son. "Lance, I… I know you believe it."

Lance rolls his eyes. "Dad, you think I'm lying."

"I think you might be exaggerating."

"When do I ever do that?"

Mira Taylor burst out laughing as she puts a pot on the stove. "Mijo, mijo… ALL THE TIME."

Mack laughs with her.

"I do not," Lance pouts.

"Son… It is rather fantastical."

"It's true."

"Flying Lions… I have to give you, I've seen the footage but I can't really process it and well, if they are true I suppose…"

"It's all true."

"Son, weapons that come out of nowhere?"

"Not no where from the bayards…" Lance jumps up and knocks over his chair.

"MIJO, careful not our furniture. I do not feel right being here," Mira dumps broth into the pan.

"You're cooking!" Lance and Mack say together.

"My son needs SOUP. He is wounded!"

"Mama…" Lance groans and then remembers why he stood up. "I'm gonna get my bayard and me and Keith can…" he looks around. "Where is Keith?"

"Who?" His dad asks.

"Keith? That young man who came to Tony's apartment?"

"Yeah," Lance looks around the room more like Keith might ninja out from behind the curtains or something. "We're both Paladins."

"That's why he came to the apartment? I thought he was mourning you, he seemed so awkward and sad."

Lance frowns. "Yeah, well, I'm going to find him and we'll both show you our bayards. You'll see, it's all true."

His parent exchange looks. "Mijo, it's just a lot to take in."

"I know, I know but…"

Mack grabs Lance and he's being hugged again. He can feel his Dad kiss the crown of his head and he blushes, feeling overwhelmed by the love. "Everything is so large, son…. I feel the truth but believing it, that is asking a lot."

Lance nods as his dad lets him go and he understands. It was a lot for him too but he was in it, he was seeing the lions, the Castle, the enemy ships, the Galrans, a Balmera. Other aliens. All of it. He saw it with his own two eyes. How do you explain something so unbelievable to people and expect them to believe it without proof.

The bayard is his best bet, a small thing, that he can show them and hope that it will help them believe. But so is Keith. Keith's a huge part of well everything. He's a piece of the life Lance is trying to explain and he needs him with him. He needs his teammate. Where the hell would he have gone?

Fear rushes through Lance. What if he ran off to try to spring Red with no thought and no plan like he's been wanting to do since they left the lions on the mountains. "No, no, no…" he rushes into the guest room of the house, where Tony had tossed them and their stuff when they got here.

Lance breathes in a small inhale of relief when he finds the bag Keith stole for them and sees both their bayards are in it. He grabs both of them and spins around in a circle. Trying to figure out where Keith would go… it downs at him after a side eye at the closet that Keith probably went to the basement.

Two seconds later he is down there, making his way through the random electronics and old computers until he finds the couch and sure enough Keith is there, on his back, holding a book over his face.

"You're reading?"

Keith drops the book and sits up. "What do expect me to do?"

"Meet my parents."

"I met your mom."

"Well, meet my dad then."

"There is time. Isn't the reunion more important?"

"It was but it happened, why are you down here?"

Keith stares at him from where he sits. "You really do only have the amount of a paper airplane in that brain of yours don't you?"

"HEY. What the hell, Keith?"

"I wasn't gonna to you know INTRUDE."

Lance opens his mouth but closes it a second later. Keith has a point. "Yeah, uh, yeah. Thanks," he says, hand going behind his neck and he feels completely sheepish now.

Keith blinks. "No problem."

"Well, come up now though, I need your help. They're having issues believing me."

"I wonder why," Keith deadpans.

"Yeah, well you can help by you know telling it all from your perspective and well, I thought we'd show off our weapons. Dad isn't buying the whole weapons just appear thing."

"They don't just appear, it's the bayards."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know what a bayard is…" Lance looks down at his own as he holds it in his left hand. "Um, I'm not even sure I do."

Keith frowns when he sees his in Lance's right hand and he grabs it. "Don't touch my bayard," he snaps.

"Don't… what are you twelve?"

"It's MINE."

"Geesh, Keith, put your name on it then, we can pretend we went to CAMP."

"Shut up," Keith mutters and he brushes past Lance. "Fine, let's go freak out your parents and brother."

"Tony went to talk to his friend."

"Oh," Keith stands up straighter. "So, he might be getting useful information? On the lions? So we can get them?"

Keith looks hopeful and Lance blinks because he's pretty sure he's never seen that expression before on Keith's face. Lance thinks he likes it but he can't help but worry that it won't be as simple as Tony talking to his friend. Of course it won't be, they're dealing with the Garrison. He sighs. "I think it's a start."

Keith's expression falls and his mouth forms into a tight line. "Yeah. Right. I just want to get back."

Lance nods because he knows Keith's in a hurry. A real hurry, because he has nothing on Earth. He thinks about how his mother described Keith upstairs and he frowns, suddenly feeling really weird about how Keith is sad and how that shouldn't be true; not for anyone. Then he realizes that he'll be sad when he leaves.

He is leaving.

No.

No.

He's not dealing with that yet, there is not need, they don't even have plan yet.

"Lance?" Keith barks, sounding frustrated.

"What?"

"We going upstairs or what?" Keith waves his bayard around in front of his face.

"Be careful with that, you might activate it and cut my head off."

"That sounds like a good plan."

Lance glares at him. "Want me to shoot you?"

"Like you could hit me."

"I'm a good shot."

"You can't even kick an orb."

"That was a high adrenaline situation!"

"Whatever," Keith spins around. "If I have to deal with more of your family can we just get it over with already."

"Fine," Lance grits out and pushes past him, muttering inaudibly under his breath about not feeling sorry for jerks.


	13. Chapter 13

Keith

Keith follows Lance upstairs, dreading what is come with every step. He doesn't want to talk with Lance's parents. Meeting his mother and brother have been more than enough. He doesn't want to talk to his mother again, his mother with her kind face and the same eyes as Lance. It's uncomfortable and it makes him uneasy in his own skin.

He stops when they reach the top of the stairs and hopes Lance won't notice. Maybe he can slide back down to the basement not have to do this. But Lance only gets two steps away before he stops and turns around.

Keith sighs.

"They don't bite. Besides you met Mom, Tony seems to think she liked you."

"We barely talked and it was awkward."

Lance shrugs. "Newsflash, you're awkward."

Keith glares.

"Come on," Lance hisses and grabs at Keith's arm.

"Fine, don't touch me," Keith shoves him off of him.

Lance rolls his eyes and walks toward the kitchen. Keith follows and wonders idly why the keep ending up in the kitchen. The kitchen is different this time, instead of the smell of take out food, it smells of cooking. Real cooking and Keith finds his eyes going to the stove. Mira Taylor is in front of it, stirring things and humming a tune Keith doesn't recognize.

"It smells great, Mama."

"Well, you need a good dose of home cooked soup, luckily your brother bought all the basics and here I thought I'd taught him nothing about taking care of himself."

She turns from the stove and Keith feels her eyes land on him, and he fights the urge to run. She smiles at him, all bright and friendly and it reminds him of Lance again and he's pretty sure sweat is dripping down the back of his neck.

"Keith, right?"

He nods.

"Thank you for taking care of my son and coming to get Tony."

Keith nods but he doesn't understand why she is thanking him. He hasn't done anything but be frustrated and awkward. Like right now, because he realizes too late she was moving closer to him and suddenly he's being hugged.

He is pulled into softness that smells like chicken broth and something motherly and he doesn't know what to do. His arms flail and his heart pounds. He's not supposed to be in this position but he can't shove her away, so he slams down that instinct and lets her grip him. And it grates against him, and he tries to shove away how nice it actually feels to have some hold him because she's just being nice. She's just doing this because of Lance.

When she finally lets go she doesn't pull away completely and Keith can't look her in the eye as she studies his face. "You look pale."

"Mom, you don't know what he usually looks like."

"He's peaked, tired, exhausted… you both are. You are both loading up on this soup the minute it is finished and then sleep. You need sleep."

Keith shakes his head. "Lance no."

Lance just shrugs.

Keith's going to punch him.

"Mira, back off of the boys a bit…" Keith turns towards the voice and sees Lance's father clearly really for the first time. He's tall and lanky like Lance, and has sandy hair and isn't at all Spanish.

"Mac Taylor," he holds out a hand. "I hear you took care of my son, thank you."

"I…" Keith sighs and looks at Lance confused.

Lance laughs. "Dude, I had a concussion I wouldn't have made this far without you."

Keith rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

"He means, you're welcome," Lance says.

"What?" Keith snaps at having words put in his mouth.

"Keith," Lance hisses.

"Shh, both of you. You are tired and yes Keith you took care of him. I want to hear all about the two of you became friends."

"We aren't friends," they say in unison. Keith shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away, that same weird feeling now at him that comes up every time he and Lance's relationship is termed as friendship.

He kind of wants them to be, but can't see how it's possible.

"Boys," Mira Taylor just laughs. "Sit and wait for your soup."

"But Ma, we got our bayards going to show you guys our weapons."

"That can wait," she says and turns back to the stove. "Tell us how you met?"

"Mama we met at the Garrison, before Keith dropped out."

"Oh. Right, you're that young pilot," Mac Taylor says.

Keith feels his cheeks get hot, so he can fly, what is the big deal.

"Tony has mentioned you… you stepped into his territory. That boy has too much pride."

"Pfft," Mira says. "Wonder how that happened."

"Your father," Mac says not missing a beat.

"Lance you never said that you were in the same class."

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't for long. He got kicked out."

"Did you not like the Garrison?"

Keith blinks. "What?"

"Did you not like the Garrison?"

"I uh…" he looks at Lance but Lance is looking at him intently. "What?"

"Did you?" Lance asks.

"Yeah, no… I don't know. I thought it was the right thing…" Keith scratches his head. The Garrison had looked like the answers to everything and for awhile it was. He felt like he belonged in the flight training program. It was his space, he owned it but he'd had trouble dealing with his commanders and the other students. Shiro… Shiro hadn't give up on him and it'd helped. But then Shiro was gone…

It all fell apart.

"So, you and Lance didn't really become friends until this Voltron thing?" Mira sighs. "You really fly Lions? That Blue Lion is real? I mean they said it was and I tried to believe it? I'm trying."

"It's all real," Keith and Lance say in unison.

"Boys, it's not that we doubt you, but it does sound like science fiction."

Lance laughs. "The technologies we've seen, the aliens we've seen… Dad, science fiction is real."

Keith nods because he has to agree with Lance there. "It's crazy, all this life, all this technology no one here has ever thought of… except maybe Pidge."

Lance nods. "Pidge is brilliant."

"Pidge? What kind of name is that, is that one of the aliens."

"No, mom… Pidge is.. The girl, the girl who was pretending to be a boy."

"Katie Holt? Or poor Delilah, she is so devastated."

"Yeah…. But Pidge is fine… she's fine." Lance had a weird look on his face and Keith felt like it meant trouble.

"Are, are her mom and Hunk's family around?"

"We've all come here, we plan an united front with the Garrison for answers," Mac explained. "I still want answers too… You went into space and they told us you were dead."

Anger rose in Keith at that, which was easier than trying to figure out what made Lance ask that question about Hunk and Pidge's families. He thought about the Garrison and their rules and saw a flash of Red, surrounded by Garrison soldier and faceless uncaring scientists.

"No," he shouted.

"Keith?"

"Mijo,what is it?"

Keith was about to launch into his saving the lions should be the priority speech again when he stopped short because of Lance's mother. She was in front of him too looking at him with way too much kindness. He squirmed and looked at Lance, begging him silently to save him from Mira.

"What is it?"

"I just want our lions back," he mutters.

She studies him. "The lions are important…"

"They're ours," Keith blurts out.

"I see…" she says and gives him a small smile. "You feel this way about yours, Mijo?"

"I do," Lance says softly but Keith notices he avoids his mother's eyes.

"Well, you can tell us more about them after soup. It is just about ready…"

The doorbell rings.

Every one straightens up on their feet and look from one another and back again. The bell rings again and this time is followed by a loud pounding. "POLICE. OPEN THE DOOR."

Keith is moving before he finishes the thought, his sword springs to life in his hand and he's heading towards the door. He doesn't know what he's going to do but he has to do something. But then he's jerked backwards and finds himself getting glared at by Lance.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to take care of it."

"How?"

"We can't be caught."

"Caught, we don't know there are here about us."

"Why else would they be?"

'Cause it's late, where in someone else's house… Isabel knows her neighbors…" Lance smacks himself in the head with his hand. "They called the cops."

"Well we have to get rid of them."

"We will but not with that… put it away." Lance waves his hands at Keith's sword.

Keith shakes his head.

Lance sighs but squares his shoulders and strides right toward the door. Keith follows him and hisses, "What the hell are you doing?"

"We'll talk to them…" Lance says but he looks unsure about the plan but never the less he opens the door. Keith hides out of sight, tightening his grip on the bayard, his sword ready, and wonders how the hell Lance is managing to smile that damn smile he uses when he's trying to charm people.

Sometimes it works though and Keith finds himself hoping.

"Hello, uh what can I do for you officers?"

"We received phone calls of a break in, the owner of this home is out of town according to her neighbors."

"Yeah, yeah, she's in London."

The two offices exchange glances. "That is what we were told, you have permission to be here?"

"Uh…yeah, we do."

"Is there anyway you can prove that."

"Uh…"

"Mijo, who is at the door…Oh. Is something wrong?"

Keith blinks as Mira Taylor just appears, smiling and walking up to the cops and offering her hand.

The cop doing the talking takes her hand. "Officer Lucas, Ma'am."

"Mira Taylor."

Silence follows, the two cops exchanging glances. "Mira Taylor, Ma'am?"

"Yes."

"Um… we are sorry about your loss."

She gives them a sad smile. "Thank you, we're making do and we have a big family, so Isabel has allowed my cousins to stay here during everything. We were just dropping Mateo and Glenn here some food."

Keith disarms the sword the second she points at him and the two cops lean forward to see where she is pointing. He tries to smile but if the look on Lance's face means anything he failed.

"She gave permission, ma'am?"

"Of course."

"Anyway we could verify that…"

"We, we could call her, I suppose."

"Good idea, Ma'am."

"She is busy and in London."

"Well ma'am it's late here so it's earlier there."

"Well, aren't you right about that… Well come in and I'll get my phone it's in the kitchen."

"Thank you ma'am."

Keith watches in horror as the two cops walk into the house, he glares at Lance and mouths. "What is your mother doing?"

Lance shrugs, shakes his head and throws up his arms before following the cops into the living room. Where they are shaking hands with his father.

"Isabel is my son's, fiancee."

Keith rolls his eyes and hopes Lance's family are convincing liars. But they can't call Isabel, what can they do… he grips his bayard and thinks about running for it but he can't do that alone. He has to have Lance with him and…

Lance is standing and he's gripping his bayard too but he's looking at his father, probably listening to whatever his dad and the cops are talking about. Keith sighs and he knows that running isn't an option as much as he wants it to be.

"Well, here I am with the cell phone, brought up her contact page…" Mira shows the phone to the cops.

"Give it to me Ma'am and I will call her."

"Perhaps I should talk to her first, explain why you're here?"

The two cops exchange glances.

"I guess that'd be okay, Mrs. Taylor."

"Great…so I'll just call her, now…"

Keith watches with horror as she presses the call button.

"Uh, Mom…"

"Shh…shh," she says waving her fingers at Lance.

But Lance stares at her and Keith feels somewhat better knowing he has horrified as him at the direction this is all going in.

Billie

"Hey, Billie, you need to take a break."

"Shh…" Billie finishes writing down a notation, then she quickly types in codes and sequences. Her eyes focused on the alien words and symbols, some of which she thinks she might be beginning to understand… maybe. She could be sure,there was nothing intuitive here, she was going fully from her understanding of math and how computers word.

The only problem was she felt like the Lions she was tasked with figuring out worked with math in a way she was far too primitive to understand. She was beginning to feel like she was trying to decode how a being worked and not a space ship.

It was a ship not a living thing.

Isn't it?

"Billie, come on?"

She blinks at the screen in front of her and realizes she is seeing double. She can't focus on the symbols and she sighs. "You're right."

"I know."

She turns to see a smug Byron holding out a take out bag and large cup, hopefully full of iced tea. She steps forward and grabs the cup. "Iced tea?"

"Yes."

"Chinese?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." She sits down on the floor and leans against a wall.

He sits down next to her and glances up at computers and the written notes she has strewn all about. "Figuring it out?"

"Maybe? I… I think the science may be over my head. I…" she laughs nervously. "I almost think they're alive."

"What? The lions?"

"Yeah…" she shakes her head. "I'm exhausted."

"You should get some sleep, yeah."

"I don't have time to sleep, they want me to figure out how to use those things now."

"Those Lions aren't going anywhere, obviously, no one can fly them. No you need to rest, then you can be the genius you are and get your job done."

Billie laughs with him but her mind is whirring, the more she thinks it the more she is sure they are sentient and that scares her. The implications of that are staggering and do they have a right to mess with living beings just because they look like a ship?

She's crazy. What is she thinking. Billie says and takes a long gulp of her tea.

"Take a nap." Byron says again.

"Fine. I'll take a nap. A short one."

"Okay. I'm going to go do the same thing."

"Sweet dreams."

Byron just shakes his head.

Billie slides a bit more into the floor and eats her food and drinks her tea. Trying to remind herself that the Lions out in the hanger were just unknown technology and not living entities and really what was she thinking? It's crazy, just all crazy.

"You've totally lost it…" she mutters and then nearly pours out the last of her tea when her cellphone goes off and scares the crap out of her. It's on the table and her ringtone feels loud in the small room and it's vibrating against the glass table. She hurries to it, mostly to just shut it up.

Who the hell is calling her?

"Hello?"

"Hello, Isabel."


	14. Chapter 14

Tony

He getting increasingly angry. Tony looks at his watch again and then at the dark house he's standing in front of. He looks up at the sky and it's starting to lighten. The sun is about to rise and he hasn't found anything for Lance.

Brent knew he was coming, Tony clenches his jaw and his fists and starts pacing. Where the fuck is he? Where did he go? Is he doing something related to his brother and that damn lion?

He rolls his neck and growls. He's lost. This situation is so far over his head. Lance was dead. They told them he was dead. It was related to that damn Lion. Maybe they never said it outright but everyone knew.

But they lied. Lance is very alive. Alive and saying fantastical things, things Tony couldn't even imagine because he never had much of an imagination. Flying lions, a robot called Voltron.

Galrans who want to ravage the universe.

An alien enemy.

Tony sighs thinking about Keith and everything he yells when he starts to get impatient they aren't doing anything to get the lions. Get the lions. Garrison isn't going to let them near the lions. Garrison is not going to give them up, the Lions are weapons.

Weapons that need if their is an enemy out there past the known space Earth's explored. Tony shudders. He believed but now he's realizing it was in an abstract way because he never thought he'd KNOW it was true.

Aliens are out there.

Sound of a car pulls Tony out of his thoughts and he huffs in relief as Brent's truck pulls into the driveway. He walks right over and is nearly in Brent's space when he gets out of the truck.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"You're lucky I'm here at all."

"What the hell does that mean?" Tony yells his head turning toward Brent's house.

"It means I was going to try to stand you up… but…" Brent sighs. "You're a good guy Tony you deserve to know what's up and how it concerns your brother."

A wave of fear washes through him, his heart is in his throat and he doesn't know what to do with his body. He steps back a few paces but keeps his eyes on Brent.

"What do you know about my brother?"

"I know he took off in that Blue Lion, he took off and flew past known space."

He feels like an anvil slammed into his stomach. It's true. It confirms all the crazy that has been coming out of Lance's mouth. Tony was believing him but it only because he knew what his little brother sounded like when he lied. Lance believed the truth of everything he was saying. So he believed his little brother, but it was abstract. It was abstract. He didn't know how to deal with something abstract becoming firm reality.

"Known space?" he echoes.

"Garrison was able to track them all the way to Kerberos and then they vanished."

"Vanished?"

"Yeah, well, until yesterday morning when the Blue Lion along with a Red one crashed onto the planet in the desert. We went from one unknown alien spacecraft to two in a blink of an eye. Garrison is scrambling."

Tony can only listen, he can't form words.

"Garrison wants those machines, Tony. They got out to Kerberos in less than a minute then they disappeared off our scanners. Way past what we know…there are aliens and the Garrison wants those Lions."

Tony sees Keith and Lance's faces as they talk about the Lions. Keith insistence they save them — save ships? Keith knows, he gets that Garrison is going to use these ships, these Lions and it's personal to Keith not to let him. Lance too, Tony runs a hand down his face in worry. Lance isn't as loud but he nods when Keith shouts, even as he tries to calm the other guy down. Lance agrees, it's personal to him too.

"Tony? You with me?" Brent asks.

"I just… a lot to take in."

"Yeah, but there is… There is still the reason I decided to show up."

"What's that?" Tony snaps, his anger rising again before he even knows why.

"Look, Tony, I'm just the messenger here, okay?"

Tony narrows his eyes.

Brent nervously runs his hands through his hair and Tony is about to shout at him to just tell him already when Brent pulls out his phone. He opens it up and presses a few buttons. Then silently hands it over to him. Tony snatches the phone and looks at, his jaw clenching.

It's satellite footage, zoomed on the Blue Lion. It's crumbled on the ground, in the middle of crater. It obvious its the Lion itself that created it. It's monstrous. The Lion is huge and before when he saw the footage he detached, he didn't buy it completely as real but now he does.. Tony's feels the truth of it and he can't help but be in awe of the lion. It's size, it's shape, it's very existence.

It's a lion. But it's alien. That question starts to loops in his head.

Movement on the video pulls him out of his head. His heart starts to pound again. Lance climbs out of the lion, Tony presses his lips together. His brother is on this screen, they have footage of Lance.

"No." Tony whispers.

"They said they were dead because they didn't expect them to come back. They really didn't know, and they couldn't let the world know three kids from the Academy took off in an alien ship into an area of space we've never explored."

Tony swallows, watching his brother on the tape. It's obvious he's hurt but he sees Lance striding forward anyway. A surge of pride and then the worry smacks him again.

"Are are they looking for…. "

"Of course. But they vanished."

"They?" He feigns surprise.

"Guy in the Red Lion…. From what I've heard they've identified him as Keith Kogane, of all people."

"Huh? What?" Tony's brain is spinning, he looks at the phone again but the video has stopped. "Lance…" he trails not knowing what he wants to ask.

"You haven't heard from have you?" Brent sounds too suspicious and Tony glares at him.

"No."

"But if you do… You gotta call it in, man."

"No, I don't." He snaps.

"Tony, listen. This is big. This is Alien! Garrison has to debrief them, and they might need them to make the things work. Tech person they called in to deal with the Lions to get them working…. Scuttlebutt is they don't have a fucking clue. I thought you might get called in to pilot, but if they can't even start the Lions up it's pointless right. The longer it takes them to figure the ships out, the more Garrison needs your brother and Kogane."

"They won't want to admit they screwed up saying my brother was dead either, now do they…" Tony spits out.

"Tony."

"No, YOU look. I don't know where he is, Brent. I'm probably the last person Lance would trust — you know how he and I are. But there is no way I turn in my own brother."

"Tony that'd be treason. Do you get it?"

"Then let me burn… I gotta, I gotta get back to family."

Brent grabs him by his arm.

Tony shoves him off of him.

"Dude…dude… you can't tell anyone."

Tony huffs. "Secrets safe, asshole. I can't tell my family any of this, I know that and there no one else to tell."

"Are you…"

"What?"

"Going to look for him?"

"No. I get a feeling him being missing is the best thing for Lance."

"Tony."

"Shut up, Brent. Thanks, I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do."

Tony shrugs and turns around. He walks to his car, he's sweaty and his heart feels like it's in his ears. It's like his brain is pulsing. He has to sit for a minute in the car. He leans his head against the steering wheel and just starts counting in his head in both English and Spanish to try to calm down. But it doesn't work.

"They're screwed. I'm screwed."

Billie

Isabel.

 _Isabel_.

Only two people call her Isabel. Her father and Mira Taylor. Her ex-fiance's mother. A second mother to her, a second mother she gave up when she ended her relationship with Tony. She misses Mira, she could call her after a bad day, she could turn to her when she needed grounding, when she needed to feel care for.

In some ways she misses her more than she ever does Tony.

The Taylor's are going through hell. She knows that, she knows that Lance's death has to be stabbing them all. The family is so close, she's wondered about Tony more than once and her heart has broken every time she thought of Mira and Mac.

She should have called and offered her condolences.

"Mira… I…. Do you need something? I'll do anything?" It's guilt and it's another rush of pain, remembering how it felt when she saw the report on Lance's death.

"I do, I do, Mija…" There is a long pause and Billie almost breaks it but Mira speaks again. "I'm at your house, and a neighbor apparently called the cops not realizing we have your permission."

"What?" Billie blinks what Mira said not processing at all. It was a strange sentence wasn't it? She shakes her head.

"I need you to tell the police it's _okay we're here_."

"I… Mira, I'm confused."

"I know, I know…I'm _sorry_ , I don't know which neighbor it was. I'll bring them some soup to apologize for scaring them."

"Mira…" she's scrambling to understand.

"It's the extended family… everyone is coming for the memorial. So many people love…loved… Lance."

Billie's heart clenches as Mira catches herself speaking in present tense. Lance isn't present tense. She blinks furiously trying to stave off tears, but she's starting to understand what Mira is saying.

"OH. Yes, yes of course use the apartment for family. Please do." It's the least she can do.

"Thank you, so you'll tell the police we were given your permission."

"Of course, anything, fill the house up with everyone…" she says not really listening as her worry for the family rises. "How, how is Tony?" she allows herself to ask it.

"As to be expected…Isabel."

"Right, right…" she sighs. "Me too."

"Oh, Mija… it's okay…. We have each other."

Billie nods forgetting she's on the phone.

"I'm going to hand you over to Officer Lucas," Mira says.

Billie blinks and then remembers Mira mentioning cops and her understanding of this conversation finds fruition just as a male voice speaks into her ear.

"Ms. Isabel Hart."

"Dr. Billie…Isabel Hart, yes… sorry call me Billie."

"Yes, ma'am. Really all I need to know is it's okay for the Taylor's to be using your home. We are compassionate for their situation, but this is your home."

"They are welcome, I told Tony it would be fine."

"Tony?"

"Their son, we were engaged and he asked me since he knows with me being out of the country…" she trails off, knowing she just lied about her whereabouts.

"Okay, ma'am. We will tell the neighbors that it wasn't a break in and leave the Taylor's to their grief."

"Thank you."

"I'll give Mrs. Taylor back the phone."

"Isabel?"

"Yes, I hope everything is good now. I'm sorry I have nice neighbors I guess…" laughs a bit hysterically.

"It's not your fault at all, Isabel… Thank you for this."

"Anytime, you know that."

"I hope you are enjoying your travels and the work is good."

Billie looks at the computer read outs from Blue Lion. "It's all rather daunting but I'm hoping to be up to the challenge."

"I'm sure you will."

"Mira… I." Billie inhales. "I miss him, I loved him — I mean. Lance was… well Lance." She smiles remembering him flirting with her and pissing off Tony.

"Yes, yes my son is… was."

"I am here for anything else, truly."

"Thank you but I have wasted enough of your time."

"It wasn't a bother."

"Goodbye, sweetheart."

"Bye."

Billie finds a chair and sits. Her mind full of grief, for Lance, for the family. She meant it. She'd do anything for the Taylor's.


	15. Chapter 15

Lance

"Mama, this soup is great," Lance grins before he shoves another spoonful into his mouth.

"You're disgusting," Keith mutters as he raises his own spoon to his mouth.

Lance grins. "It's great isn't it?"

"Anything is good after food goo," Keith mutters.

Irritation rolls through him, the least Keith could do was so some appreciation. He starts to open his mouth but then he hears his mom humming as she starts to wash dishes.

He's home. He's really home. It's not Miami, it's not even Tony's apartment. But it's home. His mom is humming. She made him soup. He can hear his father in the other room talking on the phone — something about his job. It is a typical night at home. It doesn't matter the sunrising instead of setting.

He is home because they are here.

His parents. Tony will back.

His family.

And it feels all the more real as he eats hot soup that settles warm and welcome in his belly. Home cooked with his mother love. He starts a bit as she presses her hand onto his head. "Mom.."

"That cut looks deep but it does seem to be healing. You sure your head is better?" She asks looking worried.

"Much."

"I'll have to believe you I suppose." She sits down next to him at the table.

"I'm good, Mom. Really…. Soup is awesome." He grins wide at her the feeling of happy something he can't quite happy. "And you ARE MORE AWESOME."

"I am?" His mother looks at him.

Lance laughs at her expression then glances at Keith. "Right?"

Keith meets the glance with a half smile which Lance guesses his agreement, though wouldn't kill him to say it.

"You freakin' called Billie and somehow got her to lie to the cops for us."

"Oh, don't exaggerate."

"I'm not, Mom. That was amazing, you just worked the situation."

"I just did what any mother would, Lance."

"Billie lied to the cops for you."

"For us. She loves this family as we love her."

"Too bad Tony's Tony, she would be family," Lance mutters.

"Isabel is family, I say so," Mira says her eyes darting to Keith.

Lance gives her a small nod, surprising himself but he ducks back into his soup quickly. "This is really really good soup."

"Hmm. I've made better."

"I don't think so, this tastes like what I missing." Lance looks up expecting to see her smiling at the compliment but instead she looks sad. "Mama?"

"Nothing…nothing."

"Mom?"

"I missed you too, Mijo…. We all did," she turns around too look toward the living room. "I hate your father's job."

"Yeah, even missed that."

"I wouldn't," Mira laughed and she grabbed his face.

"I'm fine, Mom."

"I know…I just need to make sure you're real."

"Of course I'm real."

A phone starts ringing and Mira jumps up and grabs it off the counter. Lance stops breathing, wondering, worrying, hoping it's family. But his mother doesn't answer it, she puts it back on the counter and stares at it with a worried look.

"Mom, something wrong?"

"No, no, I'm just worried about your sisters, that was your Aunt. Probably wondering where we are. I should have answered but I don't have a lie."

"Don't then…. I wanna see Charlotte and Marianna. Can't they come over?" Lance asks. "They need to know."

"I feel it might be too complicated," she sighs.

"No, Mama. NO." Lance stands up and nearly knocks over his chair.

"Shh, shh…" she grabs his shoulders and squeezes them the tight. "Shh."

It hits Lance hard he's staring down at her for some reason. He's been taller her for years now but suddenly it makes things feel different. Like something changed and he closes his eyes to stop that train thought.

"We have to be careful," Mira says.

"Mom… they need…"

"Your sisters will know you are alive. Everyone will, I promise. But it's not something to worry about right now. Right now I just want you to eat your soup and then get into bed. You need rest, Mijo. Both you and Keith are exhausted. You both need rest. You will finish your soup and then sleep."

"We're fine," Lance says and glances toward Keith for back up but there is no one in the chair. "Where did he go?"

"He slipped out, I think he felt he was intruding. I'll set him straight on that. AFTER you two sleep."

Mira leads them back to their seats. Lance pulls his bowl toward him and goes back to slurping up the soup. But after a minute or two he stops and looks his mother in the eye. She's been staring at him the whole time and it's starting to weird him out a bit. But the minute he sees her, he knows he can't complain. He wants to stare too.

His mom is perfect. Her kind eyes, her sweet smile. Her hair tucked messily behind her ears. She is his mom and she looks just like he remembered her. She loves him just like he remembered. She hugged just liked he remembered. The food is just like he remembered. And all of it, all of it also ten times better than he remembered.

"You're skinny," she says breaking the silence.

"Yeah, well space cuisine isn't your cooking."

"Who is taking care of you?"

Lance smiles. "Shiro, I guess. Coran too."

"Takashi Shirogane? The pilot on the Kerberos mission?"

"Yeah… I did mention him already."

"Oh… you did didn't you? So he's taking care of you? How is he with you?"

"It's a long story. But he uh, crashed on Earth the night before we disappeared, I guess." Lance guesses because he's unsure on the timeline. He has no idea how long they've been gone or back.

"Crashed? Oh. Were, were the Holts with him?

"No,"

"Poor Delilah."

"Who?"

"Mrs. Holt. She's been through so much. Her husband, both her children missing. And she had no idea Katie was with the Garrison."

"Pidge," Lance frowns angry at his friend for a flash of a moment.

"Who?"

"Pidge Holt… er Katie I guess."

"Oh, right you know her alias I guess."

"Just her name to me…" He thinks about Pidge, about how she's searching for her father and brother. She wouldn't want her Mom thinking she was dead, even if apparently she'd run away to find her father and brother.

"Mom, they're around right? Hunk's family and Mrs. Holt? I mean, I — Keith and I — should tell them they're okay."

"They are…. But. It's good you want to tell them but…"

"Mom, please?" He stares at her pleading. Part of him knows her worry, knows maybe he should be thinking more of the consequences of everything but he can't. He's been driven by something else that he doesn't understand but it feels important. It feels vital that he tell Pidge and Hunk's family that they are all right too. At least he hopes they are, no he's not thinking that, they are. They are FINE too. And it's his job as their friend to tell the people they love they are okay.

Mira is touching his face again and he can't stop himself from leaning into her palm that is against his cheek. She smiles wide. "You are a sweet boy."

He blushes and is suddenly thrilled Keith skipped out of the kitchen.

"Who is Coran?" Mira asks, changing the subject.

He smiles, he doesn't want to change the subject but she does, so he will for now. Besides explaining Coran might be fun. "He's this crazy guy, he's Altean… they have like elf ears, they look dopey on Coran but on Allura it's pretty."

"Allura?"

"Princess Allura," Lance grins. "I met a Princess a real princess. She's really pretty."

Mira chuckles.

"Anyway Coran is kind of weird, no, I mean he is VERY weird but he's nice too. He's been cooking for us — Hunk's trying to take it over — but Coran means well even if his goo is gross and his other glop is worse. He can't do the comfort food thing you do…wonder if you can teach that? He's been helping us train to fly the lions and form Voltron." He pauses and takes a big breathe. "And well, I was really homesick one night and he listened. It was nice of him. I mean he, he, uh… he and Allura lost their home, I mean not just their home, it wasn't a house they lost. They lost their world."

"Their world?"

"Altea. Their planet. It's gone. The Galra and its Emperor, Zarkon's his name. They destroyed it."

"I…." Mira's eyes widen and she starts glancing around the room.

He's scared her and his heart starts to pound. Of course he scared her, it's scary, it's terrifying really but he doesn't want to think about it. He doesn't want to think about those ramifications.

"Lance," she looks at him again and it's like she's never seen him.

He looks away and dips his spoon into his soup dish only to find he's eaten it all.

"I need more soup," he says.

"Lance…" Mira is quiet for a beat but then she stands up. "There is some left."

It's quiet as she gets him his second helping.

"How are they?" Lance asks as she puts the bowl in front of him.

"Who, Mijo?"

"Marianna and Charlotte?"

"You don't want to hear…"

"I mean… what are they up too. Marianna still like that stupid boy who ignores her?"

"Oh, he stopped ignoring her."

"What?" Lance straightens in his seat. "What does that mean?"

"Oh they are dating, sort of… they usually watch TV and eat all my junk food but I did catch them holding hands. It's all rather sweet."

"It better be nothing more than that…. I'll kill him."

Mira laughs. "Charlotte has been writing stories but she won't let anyone read them."

"She's doing more, good."

"You knew about this?"

"Yeah, she showed me one before I left for the Garrison after last break. It was cool. I liked it."

"Of course she let YOU read it."

"Jealous, Mom?"

"Maybe," Mira sighs. "She hasn't touched her notebook…"

Lance frowns. "Mom, can't you please have them come here?"

"I'm just not sure we should be telling…"

"They need to know I'm home, I'm back, please."

"Mijo…" Mira sighs. "Finish up this second bowl, then I want to tuck you into bed."

Lance snorts. "I'm not eight, Mama."

"Just…"

Lance opens his mouth to try to argue with her. About his sisters, aout being too old be tucked in but he sees sadness in her eyes and she's looking at him again in that new way again, and he's not sure he likes it at all.

"You can tuck me in, Mama," he says instead.


	16. Chapter 16

Keith

He feels uncomfortable in his skin as he sits on the bottom of the basement stairs. He has his bowl of soup in his hands. Upstairs he knows Lance hasn't noticed his absence, because he is basking in his mother's attention.

Keith rolls his shoulders and sighs. He has no right to be annoyed by that, his friend deserves to be mothered… He gets to enjoy that, Keith thinks and he pushes his spoon into his soup. The soup is warm and it's good in a way Keith can't pinpoint. He tries to tell himself it's because he's been stuck eating goo and trying to pretend it's food.

He tries to tell himself that.

He pushes away his thoughts about the conversation going on in the kitchen. Trying not to begrudge Lance's time with his family. It isn't that that is bothering him. It isn't the time that worries him. But he is worried, he is scared, he's afraid he's going to have to force Lance away from them.

Lance keeps seeming to forget that they can't stay. They have to get the lions and they have to leave. They don't belong on Earth. It's no longer their home.

At least it's no longer his. "If it ever was…" he mutters to his empty soup bowl.

He stands up and puts it on a cluttered table. He looks at the machine parts and odds and ends on it and wonders again what the hell it is this Isabel does for a living. Something about it all makes him think of Pidge, which turns his thoughts to Hunk, Allura, Coran and of course Shiro.

He misses them.

It's a strange feeling to Keith. Missing people. He usually misses things, like his speeder, like his books and his knives. He doesn't miss people, he has no reason to miss people. But that wasn't true.

The first time he felt this was when Shiro left for his mission on Kerberos. It was a strange ache in his chest for weeks after Shiro first left and he didn't understand it at all. It heightened when Shiro was presumed dead and the anger had built up and before he knew it he was kicked out the Garrison.

A place Keith had thought for the briefest of moments he might belong. Belong, he huffed. He didn't know where he belonged. But he knew it wasn't on Earth and it isn't here in Lance's brother's ex-fiancé's house. It isn't with Lance's family.

He strides over the the far wall of the basement. There is a ledge and over it a narrow window but he knows he can fit through it. It would be so simple, he thinks. Open it and slip out. Find his way to Red.

He moves forward, hands pushing electronics off a table to make room for his feet. He's standing on it seconds later, and he puts his hand onto the window, working the latches and soon all he has to do is open it.

But he pauses.

He growls at himself. _Lance isn't going to leave anytime soon, Lance is here and he's staying here. You don't have to wait for him, you can get what needs to be done on your own. Go, just go already, you're not trapped, they can't keep you here. Leave._

"Leave, leave, just go…" he mutters out loud in a harsh whisper but he knows he trying to talk himself into it and that puzzles him. He growls again because the logic of leaving makes more sense to him. He can do this on his own. He can. He can do this on his own.

But there something inside him is screaming at him to stay.

He doesn't want to listen.

So he stays where he is, paused in motion with his hands on the window, knowing all he has to do is move and he's in the wind. Then he can do what he needs to do to get to Red, and leave Earth and never look back.

But a voice is yelling at him to stay. His head bends down and he closes his eyes and rails at himself silently, fighting to ignore the voice telling him to stay. Because it doesn't sound like him and he doesn't understand at all.

"Is it stuck?"

Lance's tone is hard and it's that makes him jump away the window, a rush of guilt he doesn't understand pulsing through him. He turns and finds Lance looking at him with narrowed eyes and Keith's heart leaps into his ears pounding. He feels caught and wrong, and again that makes no sense.

"Guess, I should be surprised I caught you in the act…. You had plenty of time to take off."

"I…" Keith stammers.

"What? You what… Go on then, LEAVE. Do it all on your own as usual, fuck the fact we're supposed to be team."

"But…" Keith shakes his head. "I wasn't going to leave."

Lance huffs out.

Keith doesn't blame him for not believing him. He doesn't believe him. "I can't leave."

Lance snorts. "Sure you can, you do it all the time. I can never stop you."

Keith sighs. "That is different."

"No it isn't… You always think you can do things on your own."

"Well, I can," Keith snipes back.

"Whatever. What are you waiting for, Keith? Go on, leave. You know, tell you what, I'll even open the damn front door for you," Lance spits out and he turns on his heel.

Keith doesn't even know what he's doing until his hand wraps around Lance's upper arm. "Stop, stop, I'm not leaving."

Lance is back in his face, right up into his body space, his blue eyes intense, anger evident. "You expect me to believe that bullshit."

"Fuck you. I'm not gone, I'm right here. Like you said, if I wanted to leave I'd be gone. I'd have left YOU in my dust."

Lance huffs but he doesn't back down, he's staring right at Keith. Keith wants to look away, he doesn't want to be studies this way, especially by Lance but he holds his ground and stares right back.

Lance's expression softens, not by much but Keith sees and the anger in his eyes turns into confusion. "Why are you still here?"

"I don't know," Keith bites out.


	17. Chapter 17

Keith

"You don't know?" Lance echoes.

"I don't…" Keith groans. "They have Red, Lance, I have to get her."

"You think I don't want to get Blue."

"You aren't acting like it."

Lance huffs out. "Just because I'm happy to see my family doesn't mean I'm forgetting Blue. It doesn't work like that, Keith."

"It's more than Blue. It's getting back to Castle. That should be our mission."

"It is our mission."

"You want to stay as much as I want to leave, don't act like you don't."

"So?"

"So?" Keith glares at Lance and walks closer to him, getting his space, getting his face right into Lance's face. "You want to stay, stay Lance. Not fight for what matters. Zarkon is going to come here you know, he'll kill your family."

Lance shoves him, hard and he falls back. "You're a dick, you know that… You think I don't know that?"

"Sure are acting like it, cozying up to your mom, slurping soup, acting like we have all the time in the world," Keith yells, walking right back up to him.

"What am I supposed to do? Not going to apologize for being happy to see my mom, my dad, my brother. For wanting to see my sisters…. They're my family, they're just as important as the mission. They are WHY I want to stop Zarkon."

"I should go," Keith says and turns back toward the window.

"Yeah, maybe you should… though what are you going to do? Take on the Garrison yourself. What, sneak in and just take Red?"

Keith closes his eyes. Yes, he thinks, that is exactly what he should do. He has his bayard, Red will — Red was unresponsive last time he saw her. She wasn't awake, but she was there. He knows she was just dormant. Maybe if he gets to her he can wake up, like he did before on the Galran ship.

 _iStay_./i That unknown voice echoes again, railing against all his other instincts, his restlessness and his confusion grows. "I can't leave…" he mutters.

"Why not, Keith? We both know you want to leave… and you know what happens if you do? I have to follow you, I have to leave my parents, probably without telling them. Follow you, make them worry even more than they already are. Freak them out. Because you ran off."

Keith turns back to Lance. "No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. I do, because everything in me, because that feeling I get when I am Blue will make me. The team is what matters, working as team… it's like a family, Keith. We're a team. You may hate it, but it's true. So I have to follow you because you're my team. We're supposed to work together, that is how it is for the Paladins. We may be apart from Pidge, Hunk and Shiro, but we're together. We have to do this together. Blue is screaming at me that we have to do this together."

"Blue?" Keith stares at him. "Blue's dormant."

"Dormant, but she's there, she's in my head. She's always in my head, she's saying stick together, Lance. She's saying to go off half cocked, she's saying think about your team."

 _iStay_./i

Keith blinks. "Blue? How do you know it's her?"

"I just do? Don't you hear Red?"

"Well, yeah when we're flying, in combat, it's clear…" Clearer?

"I feel her now, Blue. She's saying stay, she wants me to see my family. She wants…or I want… I want to let Hunk and Pidge's parents know we're okay, they're okay. I mean, I worried about where they are, but I think their parents should know. Should know they aren't dead. Blue agrees. I'm pretty sure on that anyway."

"Isn't that waste of time? We don't have time, Lance," Keith shouts.

"I get we're on borrowed time, I get it, but we also have no idea what to do. Do you really think you can just get in to Red?"

"I…"

"That she'll respond, she's dormant like you said."

"But…" Keith groans frustrated.

 _Stay_. _Listen_.

"Something's keeping you here, you want to go, you look like you want to bolt. So why aren't you?"

"I told you I don't know… it's…"

"It's what?"

"This voice. Telling me to stay and now to listen. To…" Keith sighs. "Is it Red?"

"I can't tell you."

"It's not me. I don't want to… I need out." It's all too much, something is yanking back at his instincts and the longer he thinks on it the more he wants to let it. Wants him to question his need to run, to question why he wants to take off on his own. Wants him to stick with Lance and try to be patient. Patient. "I don't like it but…"

"But."

"I think I need to stay. With you… I think, Red's telling me too. But I don't like it, I don't."

"You think I like any of this? I'm going to have to leave…" Lance glances behind him at the staircase. "I'm gonna have to leave them again, leave Earth again and this is home and I don't want too."

"I don't want to stay here. It's not home."

"Yeah…. So both of us are going to have to do things we don't like. I guess it's the hard part of being a Paladin. But if Red's telling you to stay, you have to listen right?"

"Yeah. I guess we do." Keith hugs himself, he feels ready to crawl out of his skin. He looks at the window again. "I feel like she's asking me not to be me."

"Maybe she's asking you to just try something new?" Lance says.

"She's in danger, shouldn't she want us to get to her?"

"Maybe they trust that we will."

"You really think it's them in our heads?"

Lance shrugs. "I don't know, but like you said it's avoice that isn't really mine. I agree with it though."

"I don't. I don't like it."

Lance sighs. "But you're going to stay?"

Keith nods.

iGood./i

IRed, you're asking too much. /I

"Mom wants us to nap. She's probably right we should…" Lance says an he looks a bit embarrassed.

Keith rolls his eyes but he is exhausted, this whole conversation has exhausted him, the urge to run is tiring. Being around a family like Lance's hurts if he's honest with himself and he's too tired to lie. "Yeah, guess we should."

"She's gonna mother hen us, my mom."

"I don't… know how to react to that."

"She doesn't care," Lance shrugs. "Come on, I think she's probably finished changing Billie's sheets for us. I don't know why she felt she had to do that, but hey moms…"

Keith thinks he wouldn't know but he keeps his mouth shut. He follows Lance up the stairs. He thinks about their conversation and Red, and the voice in his head. It's not really a voice, it never is with the Lions, but translates into words. And he's hearing it more clearly now…

I Stay. Listen. He is your fellow Paladin. Faith. /I

Keith isn't sure he believes in faith.


End file.
